To Be With You
by waterangelphoenix
Summary: The unthinkable happens and Ash loses all of his pokemon to Team Rocket! Can he get them all back? Will Ash and Misty realize their feelings for one another? My first fanfic so rate and comment!
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

**To Be With You**

**This is my very first fan fic so go easy on me! This story has been in my head for a while now and I just had to get it out so I hope you enjoy! Anyway I had changed the ages so this could make more sense, and the original characters are not exactly in character so sorry. The ages are assuming that Ash was 10 when he started his journey, 13 when he went to Hoenn, and 16 when he went to Sinnou:**

**Brock: 25**

**Tracy: 25**

**Ash: 18**

**Misty: 18**

**Dawn: 13**

**May: 15 **

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

Ash had just won first place in the Fire Tournament in Unova. Dawn had just won her first grand festival. Both were celebrating their victories along with Brock, Pikachu, and all their other pokemon at the pokemon center.

"I'm so glad you decided to join us here, Dawn. It's been so long since we've seen you." Brock said.

"It's only been two years, Brock, and I just figured since the grand festival was so close to where you guys were I wanted to come see you!" said Dawn. "Hey where is the champion anyway! He's usually always around food," she had to giggle at this.

Brock sighed. "Talking with Misty. I swear it's so hard to separate those two once they get to talking. It could go on for hours."

"Really? They're that close?"

"They've been friends for eight years now. Know each other inside and out."

"So are they a couple?"

"Nah, I don't think so. But I should at least try to break them up; Ash hasn't even eaten since this morning."

Ash had been talking to Misty for about two hours, still excited from his third win at a major tournament.

"Ash! You forget I watched the whole match on tv!" Misty, slightly irritated at Ash's bigheadedness, couldn't help but laugh. He had been unusually stressed out during this entire tournament, and had a feeling he wasn't telling her the real reason. But she knew better than to try and force it out of him, eventually he'd tell his problems.

"I know I know I just couldn't help it! We're both doing so well I just can't help but become excited, aren't you Pikachu?" Pikachu laughed. He also noticed Ash's tension, but unlike Misty, knew the real reason.

Misty was doing just as well as Ash in her gym battles. After being gym leader for five years, Misty had finally come into her own, and in the past few weeks hasn't lost a match.

"My sisters are completely jealous; you don't know how great that feels!" Misty was completely elated.

"Hey don't look now I think your head is getting bigger than your body…" Ash and Pikachu laughed.

"Ha ha. You think you know everything do you, Mr. Pokemon Master?" Misty smiled.

"I don't think I know!" Ash smiled triumphantly.

"Well I certainly hate to break this up, but Ash you must be starving." Brock had entered.

"Wow Brock you really have bad timing. Besides I'm not even hungry." Ash's stomach had a different opinion. "Heh heh, well I guess I really am hungry." Misty sighed. "Ash…" she really showed concern now; it wasn't like Ash to miss food. "I know hey Brock can you give us a minute, please, I gotta tell Misty one last thing." Brock knew this routine. "Fine but only five okay?" Ash waved his hand in agreement.

"Ash what is going on? I know there's something you're not telling me…" Misty was head first into one of her rants. "Oh Misty don't worry I'll tell you everything later okay, cause after I see my mom I'm going to see my favorite gym leader." Ash began to laugh.

"Who me?" Misty asked innocently.

"No way I meant Sabrina! Anyway I'll talk to you tomorrow k?" Ash continued to laugh as Misty rolled her eyes, and hung up.

"Whew that was hard. I haven't kept a secret from Misty in a while, but I sure didn't want her to worry." Pikachu sighed. "Don't worry the competitions over now I'm sure it'll all be fine, no problem." Ash nodded his head to give himself confidence but Pikachu still felt uneasy.

The next day Ash had to say goodbye to Dawn. "I hate to see you go Dawn but I'm sure Kenny's waiting for you..." Ash laughed. "Ash for the last time… oh screw it, anyway where's Brock?" They both looked around for what seemed like the 50th time. "Aah you know how he is, probably getting turned down by some girl." They both laughed. "Pika!" They turned in the direction Pikachu was pointing to see Brock run up the road. "See what I'd tell you Dawn? Same as always."

"Sorry guys I was—"

"Did you at least get her number Brock?" Deep inside Ash felt sorry for him, but for the most part he wanted to laugh.

"Well actually we're going out for dinner." Brock was excited obviously. Ash held back his shocked look, unlike Dawn. "Brock we're supposed to be leaving today—I haven't seen my mom in a year!"

"Sorry my friend but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the girl's really cute, can't you just go on without me?" Brock had the look of utter desperation. Ash sighed. _Man this girl must of really felt sorry for him, either that or she's just as crazy._ Ash thought. "Fine fine, me and Pikachu will go, I guess we'll see you in a few days." Everyone laughed as Brock said his thanks and went skipping away.

"Well Ash I guess this is it. This road leads me back and that road takes you to the boat right?" Dawn and Ash came to a fork in the road.

"Yeah" Ash sighed. He was getting apprehensive about being alone for some reason. Something didn't feel right. "Oh Ash don't worry well see each other again real soon I promise." Dawn's comfort helped a little. He didn't tell her about what the trouble really was, only Brock knew.

"Yeah I really hope so. Take care Dawn." And with that Ash and Pikachu were alone once again.

"It doesn't seem like five years since then as it, Pikachu?" Pikachu yawned on top of Ash's bookbag. Ash laughed. "And it definitely doesn't feel like eight years since our journey first began, so much as happened, I enjoyed every moment. I almost wish such good things didn't have to end." Pikachu hopped off and looked as Ash. "Pikapi…" (Ash…)

"Hey don't give me that look you look like Misty." Pikachu eyed him. "Hey don't worry that's not what I meant; it's just I was thinking of taking a three month break that's all, before we get back to training."

"Pika?" (Really?)

"Well yeah it's just all the others are tired and I know you are too, and so am I. I just wanted some good old R&R you know? It'll be nice to take a break." Pikachu felt a little more satisfied with his answer but still uneasy, however decided to let it go.

Ash and Pikachu had been walking for about 20 minutes when finally they saw the boat in the distance.

"Hey, there it is buddy!"

"Pika-chuu..." (Finally…)

"Hey since were so close let's run the rest of the way. Besides I think were kinda late." With that Ash and Pikachu began to run, and were so happy that they didn't notice the pit fall trap they fell into.

"WAAAAAA!" _Damnit this better not be who I think it is…_ Then he heard the familiar laughter.

"Ha see I told you the old pit fall trap is still goin' strong!" James declared.

"You twos better be lucky I mentioned it cause that other plan stunk to high water!" said Meowth.

"Oh please everyone knows it was my plan to begin with, you two just took the credit as always." said Jessie.

"Enough of this endless bickering, let's get what we came to get and go." Cassidy entered, followed by Butch.

By the end of this speech Ash and Pikachu had crawled out of the hole. "Man I'm getting too old for this. Alright let's get this over with—Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in determination and rushed toward the rockets. "A-ha ha ha ha, you just have no idea who you're messing with kid—go Gyarados!" Butch had called his pokemon and stood triumpfully. "Ha idiot do you have any idea what you just did? Everyone knows that water pokemon are weak against electric attacks!" Ash knew he had this in the bag. "Hmph that's what you think just watch this: Gyarados use Dragon Rage!" Butch's smile just grew ten times bigger.

Ash was now a little worried. He didn't know the full power of Dragon Rage on land. The sky had started to turn dark, and then a fierce wind. "Pikachu attack it before it attacks you, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled over the wind storm. Pikachu charged with full force but by time Thunderbolt was coming down, it was stopped with a pillar of water. This water had surrounded Gyaridos and was coming toward Pikachu like a twister. "Pika…" (Uh-Oh..) was all it could manage to say. "Run Pikachu this way!" Ash held his arms outstretched for Pikachu but the tornado of water was too fast for it. Ash started running towards Pikachu to catch it but it was all in vain. The Dragon Rage had engulfed Ash and Pikachu, and they were both spinning around inside with no end in sight. "Pi-ka-chu…" Ash tried to reach for it, but since Pikachu was so much lighter, it was too high and spinning too fast.

"Alright Gyaridos, let's turn 'em loose." Butch was confident in his victory. Ash and Pikachu exploded from the water and landed in different directions.

Ash had hit the ground hard, how he managed to stand up was a mystery. Pikachu landed right in the glass bowl Meowth had in his hands. "Look what I got! Hello Pikachu." Meowth gloated. "Good catch Meowth," said James. "Well what you know looks like you are good for something." Jessie retorted. Meowth only snorted in response. Pikachu tried to break free with Thunderbolt, but to no avail. "Ha ha ha, looks like you're stuck Pikachu! That glass is unbreakable by electric attacks!" Meowth laughed.

"Maybe electric attacks won't work, but I got something else that will!" Ash had his pokeball at the ready when Cassidy stopped him. "Not so fast, boy, I got something for you." She called her Dustox out along with her machine. "Meet my weapon the Sucker Master 6000. Unlike its crappy name this bad boy will destroy you from the inside!" She turned it on full blast and it began to suck Ash in. Poor Ash held on to a rock desperately, but his pokemon weren't as lucky. The pokeball in his hand, and his pokemon on his belt were getting sucked into the machine. He tried to catch them but he fell to the ground in agony.

"Pikapi pika!" (Ash no!)

"Give them back now!" Ash yelled.

"Like that's going to work idiot." Cassidy shot back. "Dustox, why don't we show him what happens next." Dustox shot forth straight at Ash. "Pikapi!" (Ash!) "Dustox use Poison Sting!" Dustox hit Ash with all its might at full force, but Ash wasn't backing down. "Pika-chu….." Ash kept saying Pikachu's name in an effort to get close to him, but it seemed like the more Ash moved forward the harder he got pushed back.

"Pikapi…." (Ash).

Pikachu would have tried to tell him to run away but he knew Ash wouldn't listen, and it was too late now anyway. All it could do was look in horror as Ash got closer and closer to the edge of a cliff. Down below was rocks and deep water. Ash held out his hand, he could see Pikachu crying, there was so much pain running through his body he couldn't run now if he tried. Cassidy was overjoyed with the taste of victory, nothing could stop her. "Go on ahead Dustox, push that brat over the edge and show him what Team Rocket is all about." Dustox continued Poison Sting, feeling just as cold as her master. Ash could feel himself slipping away.

_No I can't—Pikachu—this can't happen. Please hold on. Don't fail on me body! _Ash tried willing his entire body forward, but once he felt his feet leave the ground all he could do was scream. "Pika pika chuuuu!" Pikachu yelled for Ash not to die, and that was the last thing Ash heard before everything went dark and still around him.

**I know Gyarados can't battle on land but just for this story I pretended it could—makes it more exciting. Anyways be sure to comment and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Fall of Ash

**Chapter 2: The Fall of Ash**

Welcome to my next chapter! I had forgot to mention that I don't own Pokémon and all the other stuff that goes with it, and that people's thoughts are in _italics_—but I'm sure you all figured that out already. Flashbacks are in **bold **unless I say "flashback" beforehand or it's a chapter that is automatically set in the past. The only characters that I created myself would be the captain of the ship, Ash's family doctor Howard, and his wife Diane, and some others that will come later. I think that covers everything so enjoy!

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><p>The ship heading off to Pallet Town had just left about two minutes ago. The people on the boat couldn't wait to see what the day had brought to them, but little did they know that the ocean would bring them something.<p>

"Aww man do we have to get in the pool now?" one traveler was already weary.

"Of course! I want to show you my new bathing suit—I can't wait!" his wife had been losing weight to get in her suit for weeks.

"Alright fine, but as long as I get to sit down," He agreed.

All of a sudden people began to shout. "What going on now?" he had a feeling he wasn't going to relax today.

"Man overboard! Man overboard!" one passenger yelled.

"No it's a boy bring him in, bring him in!" a woman was frantic.

Some had went to go get the captain while others had pulled the disfigured boy in. "I can't believe this, Howard look, doesn't that boy look familiar?" the woman in her new bathing suit stepped forward.

"Wow you're right, Diane, isn't that Delia's son?" asked Howard.

"It's Ash! Oh god I know that face anywhere…" Diane began to cry.

"Calm down honey I'm sure he's fine," Howard reassured her with little effect, "I wonder what could've happened to him." But before Howard could wonder any further, the captain came out.

"Alright what's going on here? Back away everyone give me some room, let me see him." He gasped at what he saw. Ash was bruised and battered, and completely purple. Not only was he soaked from head to toe, but he was hardly breathing, Captain Maywhether couldn't figure if he was alive until he looked closely.

"Alright everyone I'm going to need some help here. I need volunteers to carry him to my quarters, pick him up gently now, and one of you grab his book bag, maybe we can find out who he is." Once people carried out their orders, the captain addressed the rest of the ship: "I assure you everyone that everything is fine. Please continue with the rest of your trip here in peace, I shall be back with updates and to get a full report." With that the captain left to tend to the boy. He managed to find in his book bag the only thing that wasn't completely ruined—Ash's pokedex—which told him all about Ash and where he was from.

"Pallet town huh? Strange coincidence, poor kid, he was probably just trying to get home." The captain looked solemn at Ash; his breathing became even shallower.

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><p>About two hours later the day had found Ms. Ketchum cleaning. "Oh I just can't help it Mimey, the day looks so beautiful, and I just want to clean!" Mr. Mime nodded in approval. She and Mr. Mime had been cleaning all day, from the gutters to the garden, and with each step she seemed so light on her feet. There was something about this day that didn't seem right, even though it was beautiful.<p>

Just then a few storm clouds began to gather. "Just my luck, maybe it's not such a good day," she said.

As if on cue she began to have a sinking feeling, like something had went horribly wrong, and she found herself wondering once again for Ash's safety. _I suppose this is my fault, I smother him so he runs away. I hope he's okay._

Then the phone began to ring, and that feeling got worse within seconds. She said hello as calmly as she could, but a few minutes later her loud pitched scream could be heard all the way to Professor Oak's lab.

Ms. Ketchum was in complete distress. She couldn't believe what she was hearing: her very own son—poisoned in a pokemon battle. So much in fact, that the captain of the ship was afraid he wasn't going to make the two day trip back to Kanto, so he is currently being air flighted to Pallet.

Ash's mother tried to regain her composure as she made her way to the hospital, sorting things out in her head, and managed to recall her conversation with Captain Maywhether.

**-Flashback-**

"Hello there, is this Ms. Ketchum?" Maywhether looked at Delia's cheerful face and found that this would be more difficult than he thought.

"Yes this is she," Delia said coolly into the videophone, "who are you?"

Captain Maywhether proceeded to tell her his name and his occupation, "I'm the captain of the ship SS Maria, and on the way to Pallet Town my passengers happened to come across a young man—you're son. He was—well he is—not doing so well at the moment. Ms. Ketchum, I regret to inform you that you're son have been poisoned." He moved to the side so she could get a small glimpse of Ash.

That's when she screamed.

"I'm very sorry for this, Ms. Ketchum. At the speed we're going, Ash won't make it, so I've requested a helicopter to come and take him to the hospital there. I only wish I could've done more, but I have nothing here to help his condition. He should be there soon, and I wish you both the best of luck. Can you hear me Ms. Ketchum?" Once she had screamed, Ms. Ketchum had collapsed to her knees, still conscious, her hand shaking with the receiver.

"Yes," she whispered hoarsely, "yes I understand. Thank you for all that you've done."

Captain Maywhether was also in distress. In all his years sailing, he never witnessed anyone dying before. A shiver ran through his back as he looked at Ash again. He breathing was slower than before. Just then one of his men came in telling him the helicopter was here.

"I'm sorry Ms. Ketchum, the helicopter's here, and I must go now. Again I'm sorry, and I wish I could've done more."

"Thank you…for everything." That was all she managed to say.

**-End Flashback-**

After the call was over, everything seemed so silent. A light rain began to fall. She could hear her own heart beating, and it was like a slight drumming upon her mind. She felt lightheaded, but managed to get to her feet. She ignored Mr. Mime's worried talk and slowly walked to the window. She could see the rain and the wind pick up. She had no thoughts, she couldn't. She somehow put on her coat, and walked out the door.

Ash's mom walked slowly down the streets of her town. She seemed in a daze, and didn't even notice one of her neighbors calling her name. She noticed the cars passing by, the Pidgey looking for shelter from the storm, the clouds growing darker, and still she had no thoughts—she couldn't. She saw people running, some with umbrellas, and some without. She saw other people just going on with their daily lives, as if nothing affected them. But still Ms. Ketchum had no thoughts, she couldn't. She continued to walk without thoughts straight to the hospital, but by time she had got there, she had forgotten why she was there.

Then she heard it. The sound of a helicopter. "Ash!" she yelled, and ran toward the sound, breaking out of her trance. After much protesting from the doctors she managed to get another glimpse of her son before he was hauled away into the ER.

It was about an agonizing hour later when she finally heard from Ash's doctor. "Delia, it's good to see you again, I wish it was under different circumstances."

"Howard, it is good to see you, how is Diane?" Ms. Ketchum was somehow in an effort to change the subject.

"Well we were both on the ship that Ash was on, and I decided to come as well to do my duty. Diane was so sad to see Ash this way, and I feel the same. I'm afraid it might not get better," Howard said with a solemn look.

Delia gave a heavy sigh. "Is it really that bad? Don't you have antidote for this?"

"We managed to get what we could from our inventory and Nurse Joy in Viridian, but I—I don't know. It is rarely heard that people survive poison attacks from pokemon without an antidote. It's easy of course for a pokemon, but for humans…and to take that kind of pain for so long….Ash is—" Howard was getting choked up now. Delia was always a good friend; he hated to tell her this, "I don't believe that Ash will make it out of this."

At that moment, it felt like Delia's heart stopped. She began to feel terribly cold, and had to sit down.

"I'm so sorry Delia. We will try everything we can, I promise we will do our best." Howard looked down, no longer able to look at Delia's eyes.

"I understand. Thank you all for your help." She placed her hands close to her heart. "But please, please I'm begging you, save him. Save him, and bring him back to me." Her eyes were filled with tears, and she began to shiver.

"Yes we will Delia, I promise you. But you should take that wet coat off, you'll catch a cold."

Delia only nodded.

"Oh and I found this", a nurse came and brought him a bag, "I believe that this is Ash's backpack, isn't it? His hat is inside."

Delia took the torn, battered bag in her hands. It was wet, and had the faint smell of blood, but she held it close to her. "Thank you", she whispered.

Howard nodded and walked away. "Take care Delia."

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><p>Delia sat for what seemed like forever, and there was no word of Ash. A nurse had come by and noticed Delia shivering, then brought her a blanket. Delia covered herself with no reply.<p>

Everything seemed to go by slowly: the people running by, the conversations that they would have, the certain lucky patients that were going home. Since it was a small town, everyone knew everyone, and some had seen Mrs. Ketchum sitting silently. They knew that it must have been Ash, and came to express their concern. Mrs. Ketchum however, just sat there, not knowing what to say or think except for a thank you here and there.

Towards the middle of the night, when Mrs. Ketchum couldn't find a way to sleep, the doctor had come into the spare room she was in.

"Delia, how are you?" Howard asked.

Delia just sighed in response. "How is he?" she asked seconds later.

Howard was silent for what seemed like forever. "Delia," he sighed, "the antidote isn't working."

At that moment, it seemed like the world came crashing down. Delia, wide-eyed and terrified, began to shake. She put her head down.

_Ash. My beloved Ash. My son. This can't be happening. I can't be alone, not again, please God do not let this happen. I can't lose him, or is he already gone? He is isn't he? My Ash, my pride and joy, gone—gone like the wind in my hair. Ash…Ash…Ash…_

"Ms. Ketchum can you hear me? Delia?" Howard placed his hands on her shoulders and snapped her out of her thoughts. When Delia looked up he was relieved. "Delia listen to me, the antidote might not be working now, but we're going to give it a few days. Maybe if we monitor him, things would work out. Please don't give up hope. Stay strong for Ash, Delia."

Delia stayed silent. Her eyes looked glazed over, as if she was in another world. "How much time does he have left?"

Howard wanted so much to tell her not to give up so soon, that if hope was kept alive, then so would Ash. But—but he felt he couldn't lie to her. Ash really didn't have much time left. The poison had completely spread through his bloodstream, getting Ash to survive longer than a week would be lucky.

Dr. Howard sighed. "I would give him about a week, maybe a week and a half tops. I'm really sorry, Delia, but don't lose faith, we're still doing the best that we can."

"Thank you doctor, for everything," Delia looked into Howard's eyes for the first time that night, and the sadness and emptiness was evident.

Howard looked as if he was going to cry but held back his tears. "You look so lonely here Delia. Doesn't Ash have any friends to call, or maybe your friends could come? It might give you and Ash strength, and I'm sure his friends would want to know what's happening to him." _At least then they could say a final goodbye, and perhaps stop Delia from doing anything foolish._

"You're right Howard, Ash has lots of friends to call, I should let them know. I'll call them all tomorrow." Delia began to lay down, a clear sign that she didn't want to talk anymore. Howard placed his hand on her shoulder again for comfort and then made his exit.

"Goodbye Delia, pleasant dreams."

_How can anything be pleasant? How can anything be joyful? Everything is gone, all my hope, my dreams, my wishes, my son. Everything. How can anything be pleasant? Hope? What is hope? What is left? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing is left but me, and I can't be alone, not again. I can't be alone, I won't be alone. Ash….oh my Ash….I couldn't wait to see you….but I never thought it would be this way. Ash. Don't worry my baby. I want to see you. I want to see you._

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><p>I'm very excited for this chapter, but I wish I knew more about medical situations. Should I have Ash fall into a coma or something? Oh well, I might but then<p>

again I might not...well anyway stay tuned for the next chapter! Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3: The Return of Friendship

Lucky for you guys I got really bored and decided to post this! School is just starting back for me so things might be slow but please bear with me! Well, anyways I hope you guys like this chapter cause I really really do. Happy reading! :D

Disclamer: I dont own Pokemon but man imagine if I did!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Return of Friendship<strong>

A red-haired pokemon trainer had just got out of the water. The beginning of her morning wasn't so bad, except for her annoying older sisters. She started out with a good gym battle, her opponent today was especially tough, and she had to think about her moves very carefully. In the end, her Gyarados had managed to pull a last hyper beam, and sent the other trainer's Gyarados down for good. After her narrow victory, she gave the trainer an A for effort, and encouraged him to keep trying. His bright eyes and determination had reminded her of Ash, and her thoughts settled on him as she swam in the pool.

When she got out she still found herself thinking of him. _I wonder if he made it home alright, maybe I should call and tell him good morning._

She then had thought of her dream last night, and all the others like that one, and a heavy blush came upon her cheeks.

_Maybe I should call him when I'm not thinking like this—I wish I would stop having these dreams—but when I go to bed at night I can't help but look forward to them. Oh God, I think I'm becoming Brock._

She laughed a little at this, and didn't notice her sisters coming in behind her.

"Well what are you thinking about today, Misty? Or are you going crazy?" Daisy laughed.

"Every day it feels like I'm going crazy. It's nice to think about the good old times every now and then." Misty sighed. If only she could get rid of her sisters, the world would be better.

Her sisters laughed. "Oh, I see, the good old days when you were young and stupid? Looks like things haven't changed much," Violet said.

"Yeah you're still that annoying ten-year-old brat," Daisy added.

"I'll show you annoying you arrogant little—" Misty was once again starting to get angry when the videophone had rung.

"You are lucky the phone is ringing!" Misty stomped off, with the others laughing once again.

_I swear if this is Ash I'm going to tell him a piece of my mind!_ She needed someone to yell at, and right now Ash seemed like the perfect target.

"Oh Ms. Ketchum hi how are you?" Misty's anger melted nearly instantly, "It's been a while hasn't it?"

Ms. Ketchum smiled back. "Hi there it has been a while, Misty! How are you, I hope this isn't a bad time."

"Nope!" Misty smiled triumphantly.

_Wow, is it me, or does her smile remind me a lot of Ash…_

"Ms. Ketchum are you ok?" Misty began to worry when she saw her face fall.

"Oh yes I'm fine." Ms. Ketchum knew she couldn't cover it much longer. "Um Misty, about Ash…"

"Oh did he make it yet? Just you wait he was supposed to call me! I'll get him for this." Misty held fake anger this time and she laughed. How could she stay mad at him?

"Misty…." She began to cry now and covered her face to avoid seeing Misty.

"Wha? Ms. Ketchum what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen to Ash?" Misty began to ask twenty questions, only not to have any of them answered, at least not all at once.

"Oh Misty…Ash is…he's…" Ms. Ketchum began to shake. Just the thought of her son dying was too much too bear. "Misty he's been poisoned." She choked out the last word as if she still couldn't believe it.

Misty's eyes grew wide. "Wha- what did you just say…?"

"He's been poisoned Misty! Yesterday he came and he was so—oh it's just so awful—I can't explain it! Oh my Ash, my sweet precious boy, he was poisoned by a pokemon and fell from a cliff!"

_This isn't a joke is it? No this is real… Ash is really… oh God no, that's why I've been thinking about him! This can't be happening!_

Misty tried to calm herself, to keep herself from breaking down, but she didn't know how long that would last.

"Misty, he doesn't have much time left. The antidote isn't working. I'm calling you because—because you were the first number after mine in Ash's phonebook. Do you-do you want to—well you know… ummm…." She began to get all choked up again and trailed off.

"Oh Ms. Ketchum yes I would love to come." Misty's voice became solemn, but she told herself she wouldn't break down in front of Ms. Ketchum. She must stay strong for her sake.

"But what about your gym? I don't want to impose."

"Think nothing of it, I'm coming and that's final! Besides…I could use a break…." She could feel herself beginning to break. Just a week earlier she was planning on spending time with Ash and taking off from her duties at the gym. But now…

"Thank you, Misty. Thank you so very much. I hope to see you soon dear, and have a safe trip please."

"I will Ms. Ketchum thank you."

And with that, the world went silent. Ever since she woke up this morning all she could think about was Ash. Now she knew why, and it was nothing like she expected. Ash dying? Impossible. Ash is as strong as a Tauros; he could never die so easily. Could he?

_No, no, no, Ash won't die I know it! He'll survive this and then we'll all have a good laugh about this, years later._

She nodded to give herself confidence but somewhere deep inside she had a sinking feeling that Ash had somehow slipped away.

She had run crying all the way up to her room to pack for her trip.

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><p>Misty had packed her things in haste, she barely even thought about how long she would actually be away.<p>

She came downstairs and ran straight into Lily.

"Hey watch where you're going!" she yelled.

She instantly regretted her outburst. "Oh Lily I'm…"

"It's ok, really. Hey what's with the bag, are you, like, going for a trip or something?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Misty slowly walked toward the exit, "I'm going to be gone for a while. I have to see Ash."

Daisy and Violet had heard this and came out to protest. "Aww, c'mon Misty, you just wanna leave because we were, like, leaving first! Besides you're not through here yet!" Daisy said.

"That's right," Violet agreed, "and what about us huh? We're supposed to leave tomorrow, you can't just, like, take off!"

"Ugh I can't believe this, can't you just not worry about yourselves for once? What about _me_ huh? I need to see Ash don't you understand that?" Misty was beyond livid now.

"C'mon Misty, like what is so important about Ash that you just have to see him now? I know you're happy he's home, but can't he just like come over here?" Lily had put in her say now.

"No! I have to see him NOW! He's—he's—not doing well…." Misty's anger quickly died down to complete sadness and she fell to her knees and began to cry. The sisters rushed over to her and Daisy patted her back.

"Misty, like, what's wrong? Did something happen to Ash?" Daisy asked.

Misty was ashamed to cry in front of her sisters, but she couldn't help it, and continued to break down.

"Misty it's ok, come on, like pull yourself together…" Violet was getting worried now, just like the others she wasn't used to seeing Misty cry.

"Oh it's Ash. He's been poisoned and the doctors don't think that he will make it." Misty tried to dry her tears, but more kept falling. "I have to see him. I need to see him. Please, I don't know when I'll be back but I have to…I have to do something…please…" Misty looked up at her sisters with pleading eyes.

All three looked at each other, then back at Misty. "Alright you can go, just be careful, good luck and call us when you get there ok?" Daisy said.

Misty jumped in joy. "Oh thank you, thank you! I won't forget this!" Misty wiped the last of her tears away and ran out the door.

"Don't worry I'll be fine!" She waved goodbye as she got on her bike.

"Misty, be sure to like, tell Ash hello for us ok?" Lily yelled.

"Yeah, and don't forget to call ok?" Daisy yelled.

"Take care of yourself Misty!" Violet added.

"I will thank you guys!" Misty then sped off as fast as she could toward Pallet, but first she had to make a quick pit stop.

* * *

><p>By the middle of the day she had found herself in Pewter City, and right in front of the gym. <em>What I want to know is where Brock was during all of this?<em>

She caught herself from getting angry again. Once she calmed down she talked to the second eldest brother Forrest.

"What do you mean he's not here!" Misty yelled, causing Forrest to jump.

"Well, uh, he just called this morning. He won't be back until tomorrow, Misty." Forrest was somehow used to Misty's temper after hearing so many stories from Brock, and was able to speak calmly.

Misty rolled her eyes in frustration. "Well you tell him that as soon as he comes home to go to Pallet Town immediately—it's a matter of life and death!"

"What's wrong did something happen to Ash?"

"No time to explain, I gotta go, but take care Forrest!" She quickly jumped back on her bike and sped down the road before Forrest could ask any more questions.

She was somewhat relieved when she got to Pallet, but also very terrified. Misty was unsure what to expect when she got to Pallet's hospital, she had wanted to see Ash in his usual form—but she knew that was far from possible. She tried to picture Ash sick, but she really couldn't, until a distant memory came to her. She remembered when Ash and Tracy had got poisoned by a Stun Spore attack and she had to nurse them back to health. She had secretly loved taking care of him but also hated to see him in such dire states.

She walked up to the desk. "Hi, um, I'm looking for Ash Ketchum."

"Oh that's room 328 miss, just take a right here to the elevator, and once you get off go straight and it should be on your right hand side." The nurse seemed so gentle and calm, unlike Misty's nerves.

"Th-thank you." Misty had to marvel at herself for being this quiet.

Once she got onto the third floor she saw Ms. Ketchum. She crept up to her slowly, she couldn't see her face because her head was bent down, but she admired how the waning sunlight from the window made her hair sparkle like copper.

Ms. Ketchum noticed someone walking to her and looked up. "Misty?"

"Hi there. It's nice to see you, Ms. Ketchum," Misty said smiling, still surprised for seeming so shy and quiet.

"Oh Misty hi!" She jumped up to examine her closely, "It's been too long since I've seen you! My have you grown, I love your hair it's so beautiful!"

Misty had her hair down now since it was too long to be placed in her regular ponytail. She briefly remembered Ash saying how beautiful she looked with her hair down.

"Oh this? It's nothing really…" Misty was blushed nervously and patted her hair.

Ms. Ketchum smiled. _Ash was right she has gotten very pretty._

"Oh I guess you would want to see him now?"

Misty slowly nodded and followed Ms. Ketchum into his room.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

* * *

><p>Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger! Nah not really but I hope you guys enjoyed! Until next time...<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

Hello my friends! Sorry it's been so long since I posted up some chapters but school has been a killer! Well, I'm glad I get to move on a little in the story, and I think it gets better so happy reading!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters. I just like to make them suffer. Sorry for my crazy mind.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Confrontation<strong>

There laid Ash, unaware and unconscious, on his hospital bed. He was pale and purple, and was hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. He was hardly breathing, hardly moving, and it scared Misty to death. Never before had she seen him so quiet; it was an unwelcome annoyance.

Misty began to shiver as she inched closer to his bed. She looked upon his face.

"I can't believe this…" she whispered.

"He's been like this since he was brought in yesterday." Ms. Ketchum sighed heavily, "The doctors give him the antidote they have every three hours, but it hasn't been working so far." She let her head fall.

_Oh Ms. Ketchum I've never seen that look on her before. She looks so… _

But before Misty could finish her thought, Ms. Ketchum's expression changed. "Alright now, are you hungry Misty? Oh what am I saying you must be after such a long ride. Come on lets go, I'll treat you to dinner!"

Misty was left stunned for a second. _How can she be so sad one minute and completely excited the next?_

"What are you going to do now?" Misty asked. Ms. Ketchum and she were on their way back to Ash's room.

"I don't really know but I want to be with Ash for a long as I can, after that I just don't know."

Ms. Ketchum's face fell a little, but she refused to become completely depressed. _I have to hang in there just a little while longer, and then I can see you Ash… _

"Well now Misty, do you have somewhere to stay?" Ms. Ketchum asked, a bit eager to change the subject.

Misty flinched. "Uh…"

Ms. Ketchum just laughed. "Oh I know what that means! Listen you should stay in Ash's room for tonight."

"What! No I can't! What about you, I can't just kick you out, and besides where would you sleep?" Misty was slightly blushing now. There was no way she could sleep in the same room as Ash, she couldn't bear to see him so helpless, and plus being next to him might trigger off her dreams—the last thing she wanted to think about!

"Oh Misty please? It would do me good, I can't stand to see him this way and I need someone to watch him. I sleep in the room next him so I'll be fine. Please Misty, you need somewhere to sleep and there's plenty of room for two," Ms. Ketchum replied. She really did want Misty to have somewhere to lay her head, and it would ease her mind that someone besides her was watching him.

Misty shut her eyes. "Fine, fine, I suppose it won't hurt as long as it's for one night."

Later on that night Misty had laid in a separate bed next to Ash.

_I'm so nervous but anything to put Ms. Ketchum at ease. _

She tried to sleep but couldn't, there were too many thoughts going through her head.

_Oh it just can't all end this way can it? No, not after all we've been through._

She began to cry silently.

_Oh Ash you idiot, you can't leave! _

She remembered the first time they met.

_I never told you why I really stayed—it wasn't because of the bike you know._

Then she remembered when they separated.

_I waited so long to see you again….but not like this. Oh please, God Ash is the strongest person I know. He's the one who gives me strength, but please don't let him die, I can't take that. If Ash were ever to die I'd…._

She couldn't finish that sentence, she was too afraid to wonder about a life without Ash. She decided in the end to dismiss it from her mind.

_If I worry it'll drive me crazy. Ash will be fine I know it! Then I'll kill him for making me worry like this. _

She laughed a little.

_Ash will be fine, he will, as long as I keep telling myself that then it will happen. Besides, Ash is way too bullheaded to be taken out so easily. Me on the other hand… _

She didn't want to go into detail about herself so she decided to go to sleep instead.

_I hope I can at least have a good dream…_

* * *

><p>When Misty woke the next morning she was very warm. She knew she had another one of those dreams with her and Ash doing something they weren't supposed to, but this time she didn't remember it. She didn't know what it meant, but she spent all morning at Ash's side, sorting through memories, thinking about her dreams, things she had always wanted to say. She desperately wanted things to be different. She wanted to tell her feelings, but she wasn't quite sure what they were. Now that Ash was here, in the worst state she'd ever since him in, she felt….sad. It was a genuine feeling she felt many times, but this time it felt different. This time it felt…powerful. So powerful that she felt helpless and weak against it.<p>

Now Misty sat, staring at Ash's poor purple face, and she could no longer fight the urge to touch him. She slowly slid her hand along his cheek, and noticed how cold he was, then held his hand. Misty gasped.

_His hand! It's—_

"Misty!" A voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked up.

"May? Hi! It's great to see you!" Misty ran over to May and gave her a hug. "Oh it's good to see you! How have you been May?"

May smiled. "I've been doing great, and you?"

"I've been doing well too."

At this another person walked in along with Ms. Ketchum. "Umm, hi there my name's Dawn, you must be Misty right?"

"That's right I am," Misty said with a smile.

They shook hands. "It's good to finally meet you Dawn, Ash has told me a lot about you."

"Well that's good because Ash has told me a lot about you", Dawn giggled.

They both shared a laugh.

"Oh I'm so happy everyone has gotten together! How about I treat everyone to breakfast?" Ms. Ketchum was excited once again, stirring another surprised thought from Misty.

_How on earth can she be so happy? She seems so strong, just like Ash; I can't help but admire her for that. Oh well, if she's happy then I can do the same._

"Hey where is Brock anyway?" May had asked this when everyone had gotten their food. Everything seemed perfectly casual now, and everyone had pushed their worries over Ash to the back of their minds due to Ms. Ketchum's cheerfulness.

"I had talked to him this morning." Dawn said, "With any luck he'll be here by tonight."

"Why did he stay anyway?" Misty asked.

"A girl."

At this response everyone sighed, except for Ms. Ketchum who was humming and eating—off in another world.

"Didn't he know Ash was in trouble?" Misty spoke up again.

"Probably not, otherwise he would have stayed. I assumed it was all ok, since Ash gave him permission." Dawn had a sudden flashback. "Come to think of it, Ash did seem a little apprehensive."

This caught Ms. Ketchum's attention. "Apprehensive? How?"

"Well, when we were about to part ways he seemed a little off, like he was a little nervous to be alone."

"That's nothing, Ash is always nervous going by himself, then he meets someone and everything is ok," Misty said trying to be reassuring.

"Unless," May stepped in, "He knew something was going to happen."

"But I don't get it, if Ash knew something was wrong why didn't he just didn't ask for help, or at least ask someone to walk with him?" Dawn was more confused.

Misty giggled. "You know Ash, he always wants to take things head on. He's not the type to ask for help unless he absolutely has to. He probably thought everything was ok, so he relaxed."

"But it's not like Ash to relax, especially when Team Rocket is involved." This was May's conclusion.

"You think Team Rocket did _this_?" Dawn was not completely shocked, but still to go this far…

"Think about it, all of Ash's pokemon are gone, including Pikachu."

Misty couldn't control her anger anymore and slammed her fists on the table. "Is trying to steal pokemon really worth killing? Is the loss of life a good exchange for a few bucks? What kind of world is this where lives can just be traded like that? I swear if I ever see Jessie and James again I'll—"

"Misty…" Ms. Ketchum's silent voice broke Misty from her stupor.

Misty looked around, surprised to see she was standing up now, and everyone just as surprised looking at her.

"Oh, uh…" she blushed furiously and sat back down.

"Listen Misty," Ms. Ketchum continued, "I know things seem unfair in your eyes, but in mine…well let's just say I was expecting this. I taught Ash well the differences between right and wrong, and he always follows his heart. Most of the time, people don't like this quality and they, well, do this. I'm not saying what they did was right, because it's most definitely not, but it is the way life goes and as long as people think that their views are right they would do anything and everything to prove that. I only wish that Team Rocket would've—" The sound of her cell phone had ruined her thought.

"Hello," she answered. There were some words spoken that the others couldn't hear then she hung up with a tired sigh.

Everyone was afraid to ask.

"Ms. Ketchum?" Misty finally broke the silence.

Ms. Ketchum showed a look of sadness for the first time today.

"Tomorrow," she whispered.

Then she slowly got up and left the cafeteria. Everyone exchanged looks, and then finally understood.

Tomorrow would be Ash's final day.

* * *

><p>Misty lay in her bed next to Ash once again, unable to sleep.<p>

_Tomorrow. Tomorrow Ash will die. That can't be could it? Today when I touched Ash's hand, I was sure I felt his warmth, and it made me so happy._

She thought Ash was fighting, but earlier that night had confirmed her fears.

It all started when Brock had arrived. Everyone was happy to see him again, but he was in too sad of a mood to really care.

"I'm so sorry everyone," he started, "I just couldn't stop thinking about Ash. I know I could've helped him. I knew what was going on and yet I…I chose some random girl over him. How could I have done such a thing?"

Misty was thinking this bitterly and angrily to herself but felt shame for thinking it soon after. "It was no one's fault, Brock, especially yours. You did all that you could so please don't blame yourself." She had reached out and touched Brock's shoulder to assure him of her comfort, but Brock seemed as if he didn't even notice.

"Misty's right Brock," said May. "Who knows why Ash did what he did but you can't take the blame, it's too much for you to bear, especially when you don't deserve it."

Dawn was too emotional to speak. She had known Ash the least amount of time, yet she felt so close to him.

_Ash was always the type of person to attract people. No matter what, people couldn't help but like him, he had this certain aura around him. Now he's…going to die…like this…it's not right, it's not fair, Ash didn't deserve any of this. _She broke down in tears.

"Oh Dawn don't cry…" May did what she could to comfort her. She patted her on her back and then hugged her.

Misty went over to Ash's bed and held his hand again. That's when she felt it. It had gone cold. He barely had a pulse. Misty sighed, squeezed it, and then kissed it. She felt that if she passed on some of her warmth to him then it might stick. No luck.

_Damn. I don't want to cry but…seeing him like this…._

She had left the room and didn't come back until everyone else had gone to bed.

Brock had taken some place in the waiting room, May and Dawn slept where Ms. Ketchum was, and Ms. Ketchum had left to sleep back home.

This left Misty beside Ash, her could-have-been-future-lover lying still next to her. She tried to feel his presence, just like when they were traveling together, but couldn't feel the warmth of his body.

She couldn't feel his spirit.

It seemed like no matter what, as long as Ash's spirit and warmth was still intact, she would know that everything would be fine. She would give anything to feel his strong warm spirit again.

Misty struggled to breathe as she tried not to cry.

_I...I can't feel him anymore! Does that mean he's already...? No, the heart monitor is still on...calm down, Misty, calm down... _

She tried to think, tried to calm down, tried to breathe, but it seemed like every moment was harder than the next. When she couldn't take it anymore, she finally broke down and cried.

_Ash..._she prayed with all her might, _let me feel you again. Let me know that you are still alive. Fight for me, Ash, fight for me!_

She cried until she finally fell off to sleep. But somewhere between the sound of the heart monitor and her muffled sobs, it seemed like she felt a strong presence around her.

"Misty….Misty….Misty…." A familiar voice lulled her somewhere far off.

"Nnnhh, not now Ash, I'm sleeping…" Then she jolted up. "Ash?"

Ash sat on the end of Misty's bed. "Hi there, my little Corsola," he laughed, "How did you sleep?"

Misty was beyond shock. "A-Ash! You're-you're alive?"

"What are you talking about of course I'm alive! Where are we anyway?" Ash asked.

They both looked around. The entire scenery was white, including Ash. _He's wearing white…does that mean…he's a ghost? _

"What's wrong?" Ash saw Misty's skeptical look.

"Well…Ash…" she didn't know quite how to say this and took a deep breath. "Ash…you're dying…"

Ash's eyes grew wide. "What?"

_Dying? That can't be, is that why there's so much white? _Ash thought to himself.

"But how? Why?" Then a thought hit him."Team Rocket! Cassidy's Dustox had used Poison Sting on me! I can't believe this!"

Ash gritted his teeth, then looked at Misty to find her crying. The sheets covered her face, but he could still tell.

"Misty. Look at me," he whispered.

She couldn't, it was too much to bear for her, and she only buried her face further in the sheets.

Ash felt like crying just from seeing her cry. "You know I hate to see you cry, Misty." He slowly pulled away the sheets and looked at her face.

"Misty…" he whispered again.

"Don't. Please don't. I can't ok? I just can't…" Misty didn't want to but she found herself looking in Ash's eyes.

"Oh Ash, I'm, I'm just so sorry…" she buried her face in his chest. "You just can't die ok? You have to stay alive—for me, and everyone else—you can't give up yet!"

Ash thought for a second, then said: "Okay."

Misty couldn't help but be surprised at his response. She looked up at him to reply but he began to speak again.

"Okay, I'll stay alive for you, and everyone else, but you have to promise me something."

Misty nodded, urging him to continue.

"You have to promise to believe in me."

Now Misty was confused, but Ash started again: "Everyone else has lost faith in me, including my mom, but you…you still think I can make it out of this. Misty, don't stop believing in me, as long as one person believes that I can still be alive…that might be enough…and Misty, you're my last hope. Please…don't think of me as dead yet."

Misty looked in his eyes. _That look, I know it anywhere, then maybe Ash can do this…_

But before she could utter her reply, Ash suddenly pulled her close, and then kissed her.

Misty had felt herself going weak. She felt herself melting up against him. _Why does this feel so real? It's almost like I can feel his heart beating. Ash…if this is real, no I know it's real, then I promise…I'll never give up! I'll believe in you just like you always believe in me. I know now. You're alive! You're alive!_

Misty's tears dried and she smiled, feeling herself being engulfed by his warm spirit.

Misty then felt herself being shaken awake.

"Misty!" It was a female voice this time.

"Misty wake up!" May was obviously frightened by something.

"What's wrong May?" Misty asked, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Misty…it's about Ash…"

* * *

><p>Yay another chapter done! This one was kind of hard for me for some reason. Towards the middle of it I didn't like the direction and decided to rewrite that part (the part before Misty gets into her dream). Now that I think about it, I believe my main inspiration for this chapter would be one of the earlier episodes of the anime Yu Yu Hakusho, when Yusuke comes to Keiko in a dream telling her not to cry over his death and that in the end things will be alright. If you don't know what I'm talking about you should totally watch that anime it's one of my favs. Anyways I hope you guys liked it and stay tuned for the next chapter!<p>

Until next time...


	5. Chapter 5: Death

It's a slow night so I decided to upload more. To be completely honest I don't care much for this chapter, but I promise it's going to get better! I think.

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own Pokemon, but my only original characters are Howard, his wife Diane, and some others that may pop up.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Death<strong>

Ash had been moved to the intensive care unit. He was now classified as being in serious condition. Dr. Howard was definitely on edge; Ash was not only a dear patient, but a dear friend as well. He always believed in Ash's abilities as a pokemon trainer, and was so pleased whenever Delia would tell him and Diane about his accomplishments.

Now he was forced to have to see Ash like this: a hollow shell of his former self, a rotting corpse that was with a fighting soul. He was personally impressed to see Ash survive this far, making it a whole week was a definite success, and he thought that Ash could possibly survive. But the antidote has had no success, the poison has spread throughout his bloodstream, and there was no hope for him. His blood pressure was very low, along with his heart rate, and the successful doctor of 20 years was stumped.

He thought he would try one final dosage of the antidote, and then would pray for the best. Then Ash's body had went into shock, and he's been in intensive care ever since.

Misty, Brock, May, and Dawn sat helplessly in the waiting room, all completely quiet. Ash's mother had yet made an appearance, and this made them even more nervous.

Misty looked up and down the halls. "I wonder what could be taking her so long." She sighed.

"Don't worry she'll be here, although I'm not sure in what condition," Brock said.

Misty slowly breathed out and spoke again, "It's just so sad, all they ever had was each other," she sighed. "Now Ash's mother is close to being all alone; at least she's being strong about this."

"Barely…" Dawn said.

"Poor thing, she's close to breaking apart every day." May looked solemn. "We all have to be there for her."

Misty sat, her hands clenched in her lap. "No, it won't end this way, I know it! We have to be strong, and believe that Ash will make it out of this."

Unfortunately no one else held her fighting spirit.

Brock, who had his head down the entire time, looked up. "Well, I guess I better go check and see if I can find Ms. Ketchum." He stood up and walked down the hallway.

"Poor Brock, he's still blaming himself for all of this," May said.

Meanwhile the doctors were working feverishly on Ash.

Dr. Howard was almost at a loss. The antidote had been in Ash's system for a week and still no luck. And now Ash's body goes into shock at the last second, but he miraculously doesn't fall into a coma.

_This is one lucky kid I know that much. But I don't know what else to do._

Then the heart monitor attached to Ash started beeping frantically.

"Doctor, I think we're beginning to lose him!" one of the nurses yelled.

"No we're not; I'm not giving up on him!" Dr. Howard was more determined than ever, and began to set his crew to work. They all tried to get him stabilized and get his blood pressure back to normal, but to no avail.

Then a few seconds later, he flat lined.

It was at that moment that a shock went through Misty. She suddenly felt cold—as if she could feel her spirit leaving her body.

_Misty….I'm sorry…._

She fell to her knees, clutching her head in her hands, and began to cry. May and Dawn rushed over to her. "Misty? Are you alright?"

She shut her eyes. "It's like…I can feel him…he's here…he's telling me he's sorry…Ash…" she tried to speak through her sobs but couldn't. The girls tried to comfort Misty the best they could, but only ended up crying themselves.

So many memories, so many happy times… They all remembered it's not how one dies that you should remember, but how one lives. May thought about Ash's happy spirit. He was a lot to get used to at first, but she loved every moment. Dawn thought about how supportive he was, encouraging her every step of the way, telling her to never give up. And Misty…Misty remembered how compassionate he could be. He was nice to her, even when she wasn't nice to him. She didn't know if that was to make her feel bad or not, but it worked, and over time she stopped yelling at him so much.

_I can't believe I fell for it,_ Misty thought, _all this time…I've been…falling for him..._

She felt Ash's arms wrap around her. _Misty, Misty please don't cry. You know how much I hate that…you look so much prettier when you smile._

She cried even harder. "Ash…"

"Shit! Hurry we have to revive him!" Dr. Howard could feel himself failing. _This can't be the end, not after all the hard work I put into saving him. I'm not going to watch him die and see his mother suffer alone!_

"Clear!" A thousand volts of energy shot through Ash's body.

"Clear!" The same thing with no effect.

"Clear!" Ash's body jumped, but still no other signs of life.

"NO DAMNIT CLEAR!" Another thousand volts, another round of endless beeping.

Dr. Howard sighed in frustration, and all the other nurses began to cry. Dr. Howard hated to lose patients just like any doctor, but somehow losing Ash…it was an entirely different feeling. Now things were about to get worse, he had to hear to cries of Ash's beloved mother and friends.

_Shit, this is the part I hate…_

But just as he was about to turn off the machine, the drawn out sound of death vanished, and replaced with a slow steady heartbeat.

_Wha-? _At first Dr. Howard thought he was hearing things, but the nurses noticed it too.

"Doctor he's—"

"Alive! He's alive! Quick get him stabilized! I don't want him to crash again!" Then Dr. Howard ran out the room to inform Ms. Ketchum of the startling turn of events.

Back in the waiting room, the girls were as nerved wacked as ever, but finally managed to calm themselves.

"I don't believe this, where is this doctor? I swear I'm going to go back there!" Misty began to pace the floor.

"Don't worry Misty. When is Brock coming back? It shouldn't have taken this long to get Ms. Ketchum." May began to bite her fingernails.

Dawn sat nervously, her legs shaking with a strong force that caused her entire body to shake.

"I just wish someone would tell us something soon…" Dawn spoke more calmly than the others, but was just as anxious. Then she could see Dr. Howard running toward them.

"Look!" She cried happily.

May and Misty looked to see the doctor and they seemed to hold their breath, preparing for the worse.

"Well?" Misty placed her hands to her heart.

"He's…going to make it," Dr. Howard exclaimed, extremely happy, and was pleased to see the girls shocked but relieved faces.

The three girls looked completely shocked to the core, but as Howard explained everything, their looks had changed to absolute amazement.

"It's amazing what I just witnessed. I thought for sure that Ash was dead, but he has a strong spirit, and he's still fighting. Hopefully with any luck, I should get a different kind of antidote—this time from a city in Sinnou—and it should help, but we can only pray right? As long as Ash is still alive he still has a good chance of surviving." Howard smiled.

"This is incredible!" Dawn jumped up and down.

May began to laugh and cry, Misty began to jump with Dawn and casted an all-knowing smile. "I knew Ash would never die on me, he's way to strong for that."

"You're right but I still can't believe it! Wait, Brock! We have to tell him!" May spoke so quick Misty hardly understood. She was about to turn around to find him when she saw him running towards them.

Brock had the look of horror on his face, as if he'd seen a ghost. "Doctor quick, it's Ms. Ketchum," he spoke just as quickly as May, "she's just collapsed and isn't breathing!"

* * *

><p>Yes, another chapter with Ash dying and mysteriously coming back to life, man where haven't we seen this before? Oh well, I still kinda like it, although it's not one of my favs-I think I was in a rush to get this out of the way, and as a consequence it's so short!<p>

Until next time...


	6. Chapter 6: Delia

Hello there everyone! Once again I bring you another chapter, and this one I can't help but love, mostly because it is completely dedicated to Ash's mother, Delia. Yes, it is kind of dark, but I would be dark too if my only son was dying with little chance to live. Well, since this is the darker side of a mother's love I hope you all like it, oddly enough it was easy for me to create a not so carefree Delia.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Delia<strong>

"I can't believe it…I never thought I would see this again."

Dr. Howard was standing over his new patient, Delia Ketchum, still trying to process today's events.

After Ash miraculously came back from the dead, he went to go tell his mother the good news, only to find out that she had become unconscious.

The whole hospital was estatic, to find out that Ms. Ketchum had returned to her former state after being well for so long!

_Damn, Delia, just what were you thinking?_

Dr. Howard sighed and left the room, nothing more could be done.

* * *

><p>Delia sat on the edge of her bed early that morning. There was no denying it, Ash was dying but in her mind he was already gone.<p>

_Is there even a point in seeing him? For what? To say an endless goodbye? It seems pointless, saying goodbye to a dead son, should I even go at all? _

Delia seemed to get dressed in slow motion; everything seemed to stop, submerged in darkness and despair.

Delia knew she had to go, but saw no real point_. If Ash is dead, then I am dead too. I can't take it anymore—why must everyone die and leave me? Don't I have a right to be happy? I don't want to be alone again, I can't take it. _

Delia left her house and began walking down the street, silently cursing the sun for being so bright. She ignored people by walking in less crowded areas, which meant the long way around to the hospital.

_With any luck, he'll be dead by time I get there, just in time for me to follow. I don't want to lose him, and I won't. Ash is the last thing I have left, he's my whole world. After losing so much, Ash was my only source of strength. Being away from him while he was on his pokemon journey was rough at first, but the good people of this town were able to help me get through it. Now…no one can help. I'm all alone. Again. It hurts._

Delia turned a corner, then another. Usually she loves to walk around and take in the scenery, but today she was completely out of it, she barely had the energy to move at all. Everything seemed so blurry and dark, it was hard to tell exactly where she was going.

Delia began to wobble and sway from side to side, and no longer had an effort to see where she was going. She held her head down and watched the movement of her feet. She felt herself inch closer to the hospital, and slowly found it harder and harder to breathe.

_If this is Ash's last day then it shall be mine as well. It had been a week since Ash entered the hospital, and since that day I haven't had much energy, I don't even eat or sleep much anymore. I just didn't see a point to it. Sometimes I would find myself just looking at him and not thinking anything at all. Ash has always been a huge part of my life, and finding myself with him dead is enough to make me die. _

_Ash, we shall go together. If nothing else, I want to be with you. Ash…wait for me…_

Delia pulled a small pocket knife from her pocket.

_Should I? Should just end it now? One quick poke, that's all it takes. Ash…oh Ash what should I do?_

She had stared at the point as it seem to come closer and closer to her. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe.

_Ash…Ash…Ash…_

Her sight had failed, and she could feel herself falling.

The last thing she heard was the screams of people in the lobby of the hospital, and she could've sworn she heard Brock among them.

_Their voices don't matter now. All there is is my Ash. As long as I'm with him, I will be fine. I wont be alone anymore! That makes me happy! Ash my baby, I'm coming to you!_

Delia Ketchum lost consciousness on the lobby floor of Pallet Town's hospital, suffering from a deep stab womb to the stomach.

* * *

><p>It had been three days, and Ash was already on the verge of a complete recovery.<p>

"He should wake up pretty soon now," Dr. Howard said, "he's been through a lot so we just have to give him time."

Misty, May, Dawn, and Brock were relieved of that. But…

"What about Ms. Ketchum? How is she?" Dawn asked.

Dr. Howard sighed. "She should be just fine. Although the cut was deep, we managed to save her before she lost too much blood. With luck she should be up by tomorrow."

"But I don't really understand, why would she do this?" Misty asked.

"Well, I'm guessing Ash never told you any of this, but Delia has always had…this condition. Like the rest of us she cant bear the thought of those that she loves dying, but Delia always seems to blow things a little out of proportion. She used to just starve herself and not eat, but every once in a while she would try something like this. We really have to watch her carefully now because she still doesn't know that Ash is alive. We'll take good care of her so don't worry."

"This is all too much for me," May replied after the doctor left, "I had seen Ms. Ketchum a lot and I never suspected she would do this."

"Yeah, I guess you never know about people sometimes. But still let's try to help and look out for her. The near death of a child is very scary and hard to deal with," Brock advised.

Misty gave a heavy sigh. "I guess I can see why Ash never told us this. It must have been hard for him though, all that traveling and knowing that at any moment his mom could be killing herself out of worry."

They went into Ms. Ketchum's room and watched her sleep, then went into Ash's room and watched his sleeping form, then they all went back to Ash's house—since there was really no room left in the hospital.

* * *

><p>Misty had laid in Ash's bed, she had a feeling Brock had set up the room arrangements on purpose, and once again her thoughts turned to Ash.<p>

_I wonder how he's doing. He's breathing regularly and his hands are warm now. I cant help but feel relieved but I also seem to miss him. We usually talk at least once a week, it feels different not hearing his voice. _

Misty sighed.

_Oh well, hopefully he'll wake up soon, then maybe I can get him to tell me more. I never felt so far apart from him since we first met, it feels so weird, I want to be close to him. I sort of wish he was lying right here next to me._

She imagined herself close to him, and found herself falling asleep.

"Misty….Misty…."

"Not now Ash, I'm dreaming…." Misty turned over grumbling.

"Ash? What are you talking about this is Dawn."

Misty's eyes snapped open. Realizing she was no longer in the dream she had she began to blush furiously and looked away.

"Wow Misty, do you always dream about Ash?" Dawn asked, a slight blush on her cheeks and a small smile gracing her face.

"N-no, course not, I—it was just an impulse, I am sleeping in his bed and all…" Misty felt smaller and smaller, until she got out of bed and began to stretch.

Dawn smiled. "Okay, well, breakfast is ready whenever you come down." She continued to smile as she left the room.

_Damn why do I keep having those dreams? It's beginning to worry me how perverted I've become._

Misty was on her way to the kitchen when she heard the phone ring.

"Hello…" she was surprised to see Dr. Howard on the other end.

"Hi there Misty! It's nice to see you. I have great news—Delia is awake! She was asking for Ash, but he's still unconscious, so I'd figured I'd call all of you. Do you think you can get down here quickly?"

"Of course! We'll be there as soon as we can." Misty couldn't hold her excitement now.

"Good, thanks, see you soon."

Misty then ran joyfully into the kitchen to tell the others of Delia's good condition.

* * *

><p>Everyone had slowly entered Delia's room, only to find her eating like Ash during lunch time.<p>

"Oh hey everyone! Sorry to worry you all!" Delia did a little wave and a weak smile.

Everyone smiled back. "It's good to see you well Ms. Ketchum," Brock said.

"How's Ash?" She asked.

Everyone flinched a little at this, they weren't sure what to say to her, but then Dr. Howard came in.

"Good news everyone, Ash should wake up either late tonight or early tomorrow," he said.

"Really? That's great!" Dawn began to jump in excitement.

"I cant believe it, that's sooner than I expected!" May agreed.

"Yes, well he's really showing signs of improvement: his blood pressure is doing well and his heart rate is stabilizing. You can all see him if you want—but remember he's not up yet." As soon as Dr. Howard said that, all who could run went to see Ash, all that was left was Delia and Dr. Howard.

"Delia…" Dr. Howard began.

"Don't, I know what you're going to say…" Delia replied cutting him off.

"But Delia, I really thought you had gotten through this. What happened to the therapy?"

Delia sighed. "I don't know."

"You haven't stop going have you?"

"He told me there was no need for me to come anymore. I thought I was cured."

"So did everyone else."

"Does everyone know?"

"I'm sorry, the nurses started talking before I could stop them, the only one who doesn't know of your relapse is Ash."

Delia sighed heavily again. "I'm sure he'll find out eventually. I suppose this is my fault. All this time and I'm still really weak."

"No you're not Delia," Dr. Howard patted her shoulder, "Sometimes these things just happen. Everyone knows how much Ash means to you, I'm sure no one sees you as weak."

Delia felt a little better but not completely. "I only wish I was stronger for him."

"You are Delia. You gain strength everyday, and the fact that this happened shall only make you stronger. Trust me things will get better."

Meanwhile everyone else looked in on Ash.

"Do you guys think he can hear us talking about him?" May thought aloud.

"Nah, not the way Ash sleeps." Misty laughed.

"Everyone, we have to make sure we look after Ms. Ketchum. We have to keep encouraging her and make sure that this doesn't happen again," Brock said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I just feel so bad, I was here the longest and I never noticed." Misty felt sad by this revelation.

"Don't feel bad, Misty, it's not your fault. You didn't know so there was nothing you could have done," Dawn reassured her.

"I know but I always had a feeling, but I wasn't sure—I could've helped!—I should've did something."

"Misty, everything is fine now so there's no need to worry anymore. Besides, like Dawn said it wasn't your fault, you just probably thought that she was just suppressing her feelings; and even if you did find out, you probably still wouldn't be able to do anything because Ms. Ketchum would just deny it." May had put in her voice of reason.

"I suppose you're right—both of you—I'm sure everything will be fine now." Misty felt a little better hearing this.

Ash had began to turn in his sleep, which was a good sign, but didn't wake. Everyone sighed, somewhat relieved, they didn't want to tell him about his mother yet and they were sure that was the last thing Ash had wanted to hear.

"C'mon let's go. We don't want Ash to wake up too early, let's let him get some rest." With that, Brock had led everyone out of the room.

* * *

><p>New light had broke in from the window. It had stun Delia's eyes and made her turn away.<p>

_Another day…._

Delia slowly sat up in bed. She opened her eyes groggly and looked around her. She couldn't believe that she was here again, in the same position she found herself around ten years ago, and she thought she was trying so hard. Was all her hard work really for nothing? She had spent two years in and out of appointments with psychologists and taking antidepressants—and in an instant it all came undone.

She buried her face in her hands. She knew what would come today: today was the day Ash was going to wake. Old words had flashed in her mind:

"_**You promise right? You'll never do this again?"**_

"_**I promise dear."**_

"_**Swear it. I don't want to see you like this."**_

"_**Ash…"**_

"_**Mom, please…" Ash had a look of complete helplessness. **_

_**Delia sighed. "Alright dear I promise, I swear."**_

Delia brought her head down further at this new thought: she had failed Ash—again.

Across the hall Ash moaned in his sleep.

_Damn sun. I was having a good dream too…_

He felt so stiff but couldn't remember why. Until it all hit him at once.

_Pikachu!_

He sat straight up very quickly, only to realize it was too quickly, and nearly cried out in pain.

_Damnit, now I remember. Team Rocket came and took my pokemon. Damn Cassidy and her stupid Dustox sent me flying straight off the side of a mountain, who knows how long I've been stuck here, and…_

He didn't even want to think about the condition of his pokemon, but he knew one thing for sure—he had to get out of here. Ash secretly hated hospitals, they reminded him of his mom.

_Where is she anyway? Never mind I have to go._

Since he was so stiff, every inch of motion put him in absolute pain. He was still recovering from the poison, and his skin was still a tinge of purple. He carefully stepped to the floor, and began to slowly make his way to the exit. He looked up and down the hall to make sure no one was around, then began to move. He wished for house shoes, the coldness of the floor only made his aching feet worse. He turned the corner, still undetected.

_Good, now for the elevator. _He willed his body to move as quickly as he can, and as he pushed the elevator button he knew he was home free. _Maybe a dash for the exit? No way not like this._ He looked around once more. _This is so cool, I haven't got caught yet! Maybe my luck is changing._

Then one of the doors had finally opened, after what seemed like forever, and he was surprised beyond reason to see who was behind it.

"Ash?"

"Misty?" It wasn't only her, Brock, Dawn, and May were all staring right back at him, just as shocked as Ash.

"Shit…" Ash mumbled.

_Maybe not._

* * *

><p>Tired, but I hope you liked this one. This has to be my fav chapter so far, but I think I said that already...Anyway now that Ash is finally up and Delia is alive the only question left would be: What happens next? Hurray for more excitiment! Oh and I completely forgot to mention the origin of Ash's nickname for Misty, in case you missed it he called her his Corsola, and will probably mention it a couple of more times in the story. I think its a cute name, but I love Mist too. I'll try to fit the explanation in somewhere...but until then I think you guys will like the next chapter.<p>

Until next time...


	7. Chapter 7: Pikachu

Hi everyone! It's been so long since I posted a chapter! Sorry to keep you all waiting but I figured that since I'm on my spring break I can do this. I hope you guys enjoy this one, but who wouldn't it's Pikachu we're talking about! Anyways happy reading!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, just some of the original characters I created. Wait, I did have a little Togepi once...does that count? No? Oh well guess I don't own Pokemon then... :(

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Pikachu<strong>

**This is a side chapter about Pikachu. Don't worry it'll make sense.**

Pikachu was a small baby when he had his first encounter with humans. Like all small children, Pikachu thought it knew and could do absolutely anything. He would be knocked down a few pegs today.

Pikachu had received a warm smile from his mom before setting off on today's journey. The sky however was getting cloudy. They had received a lot of rain for the last few days, and today was going to be no exception.

Pikachu and his mom had reached a rushing river, but couldn't cross—it was just too rough. Pikachu's mom was about to set off once again with her son but couldn't find him.

"Pika! Pika-chu!" she called.

"Pikaaaa!" little Pikachu yelled from the top of a tree.

He was reaching for an apple that was on a low hanging branch. He found himself inching closer and closer to the end of the branch in order to reach the apple, but also became closer to the river below.

"Pikachu! Pika-pika-pi-chu-pi!" Pikachu's mom was telling her son to get away from the apple and out of the tree. She noticed the branch bending under his weight and her heart jumped with fear.

Pikachu was so close he could already taste the apple in his mouth. Just as he grasp the apple with both paws…CRACK! Pikachu's eyes grew wide and seemed to fall in slow motion into the river.

"PIKAAAACHU!" Pikachu heard his mother's voice, but then it all fell silent by the rush of the waves crushing him.

Pikachu tried desperately to approach the banks of the river, but all he could do was try hard to keep his head above the water.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu's mom was running along beside him, unable to do anything to save her dying son.

Pikachu saw her and tried to reach out for her but couldn't, and his heart sank even further. Pikachu was growing tired of fighting the waves, but couldn't rest in fear of sinking to the bottom. His only hope was to try to keep his head from going under until the river was through with him and dumped him somewhere.

Along the side of the river was his mother, still running after him, still calling for him. It hurt him so much that he couldn't reach her, couldn't even get close to her, the water seemed to weigh him down more and more—his movements were getting slower.

"PIKKKAAAAAA!" Pikachu heard his mother yell for him.

"Pikaaaa…." He weakly cried in response.

Pikachu felt himself slowly slipping. He could no longer hold himself up. His mother's cries, which had once given him strength, had begun to fall by the wayside.

He sank deeper, deeper into the water and felt so heavy. So heavy….

"Pikaaaaa….." he thought it was over, he thought this would be his final breath.

Then, out of nowhere, two strong arms came and picked him up. He felt weightless all of a sudden and wondered why. He managed to look up and before his eyes reached the sky he saw someone—a human!

A human has come to save him? A small human boy no less? Pikachu also heard another voice; he looked to his right and spotted a woman running. What is going on?

"PIIIKAAACHUUU!" Pikachu heard the sound of his mother to his left.

The boy had held him close, and said some things that he couldn't quite catch. They both rushed further down the river, and Pikachu felt that things were looking bad.

He was grateful that the boy had came from the sky and saved him, but now they were both drifting away, helplessly going down stream.

"PIKAAAAA!" Pikachu heard his mother and instinctively went for her, but was held back by the boy.

"Pika-pika…" he could still hardly speak.

The human voices were getting louder and more intense. It was like constant noise taking over, the only question now was what would have complete domination—the noise of the water or the noise of the boy yelling for help? Then suddenly, Pikachu felt a hard thump—the boy had run into something—and he felt himself being pulled under once again. He looked to see the boy nearly passing out, still holding on tightly to his bundle.

Pikachu was at a loss. The very boy who had dived in the water to save him was now dying. Then an instant thought came to Pikachu. It was so crazy it might work. Pikachu had pressed its small cheeks against the boy's and let out a small shock.

It worked! The boy had shaken himself awake and pulled himself and Pikachu up toward the surface. Pikachu breathed in the fresh air; he never thought he could take a small thing as breathing for granted.

After another agonizing few minutes of constant struggling, they were both pulled out of the water by rope that the boy had somehow grabbed onto. Pikachu gasped for air, and looked around to see the boy not moving much. Pikachu heard voices crying out for the boy, and watched with anxiety as they crowded around him.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu's mother had made it across the river and was running towards him. Pikachu shared a strong embrace with his mother, followed by a good scolding, and then watched his mother telling the humans her thanks. The woman seemed to understand, she must've been going through the same pain as Pikachu's mother.

They had left before the boy had gained consciousness.

* * *

><p>Pikachu could never remember that entire story until now. But why now? What was the point?<p>

Pikachu could barely move, hardly even think, but yet he could remember that story—why?

Pikachu was lying on a cold hard floor of a cage in a dark basement. He had no idea where he was, but he did remember what happened before. He remembered his master saying his name for the final time: **"Pi—ka—chuuu…."**

Pikachu began to cry. His beloved master, his best friend of nearly ten years, the one he considered as the closest member of his family, was dead. Dead and never to return. Pikachu didn't know what to feel, if he could feel at all, but he could hear voices deciding his fate.

"What do you have planned sir?" a woman had asked.

"Something…brilliant," the man answered.

* * *

><p>To those of you who were completely confused everything will be clear in the next chapter so don't worry. I just love Pikachu and decided to dedicate a chapter just for him. Until next time...<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: Hello and Goodbye

Another chapter! This one is a bit longer which I'm glad of, and it might not be the last long chapter, which gets me even more excited. Anyway, happy reading!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, but I just wish the creators would give Ash a girlfriend he's like what 30?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Hello and Goodbye<strong>

"And just where do you think you're going?" Misty's voice sounded a little scratchy, like she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

"Ummm…" Ash did the first thing that came to his mind: he pretended he was sleep walking. He walked around with his arms stretched out.

"Nnnnhhh, where am I? What am I? How did I get here?" He went around in a couple of circles for added effect.

Everyone laughed.

"Well I guess if he's sleep then he doesn't want these." Misty held out house slippers from her bag.

Ash's eyes popped open. "Hey my shoes! Gimme gimme!" He reached for them, but Misty was quicker.

"I thought you were asleep, Ash?" She took the shoes from his grasp again.

"Damn it Misty, come on my feet are freezing!" He dove and missed again.

"Dance puppet dance!" She laughed.

"Ash what are you doing?" A nurse came out from around the corner, "You're not supposed to be up, come on back to bed!" Ash groaned as the nurse caught a hold of him, but squirmed away once Brock stepped in.

"Oh fair lady, I think I'm getting a cold coming—do you want to take care of me instead?"

The nurse was even more speechless when Misty pulled him away by the ear. "You are getting irritating!"

The nurse caught Ash again going downstairs, being held back by May and Dawn.

"Ash! Come!" The nurse drug him by the shirt back to his room.

"Aww, come on Ms. Naiomi—"

"It seems like I'm always the one that's holding you—why do I have to do the dirty work?" Nurse Naomi sighed, and with a little help from May and Dawn, managed to put Ash in bed again.

"Now you better stay put, Ash. I'll go let Dr. Howard know that you're up and about," Nurse Naomi smiled as she left his room.

Once the nurse left everyone just smiled at Ash, which really creeped him out. "What?"

Dawn hugged him as tight as she could, "We're just glad you're ok! We were so worried—"

Ash liked the attention but, "Dawn…cant breathe…"

Dawn pulled away. "Oh sorry!"

Ash laughed as he attempted to catch his breath, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Sorry for making you all worry about me, it must've been hard."

"We're just glad to have you back Ash, here I got you a gift." Misty held out one of Brock's breakfast burritos.

"Yes, food!" Ash was beyond excited, "Thanks Misty!"

"Hey what about me, I made it!" Brock's cries for attention fell by the wayside to Ash's chewing.

"I'm sorry to bring you guys out here like this, I'm sure you were all probably busy doing something important…"Ash apologized once again. He couldn't help but feel bad for everything, and to be perfectly honest, he had no idea why. Did he feel like he ruined everything?

"Ash why do you keep apologizing, you did nothing wrong." May was taken aback a little.

"May's right, we're friends, it's what we do."Brock added.

Everyone nodded.

Ash showed a small smile. "Thanks guys." Then he noticed something. "Hey, where's my mom?"

Everyone flinched, they were hoping Ash wouldn't ask that question but knew it was coming. Ash looked at his friends innocently. "What? She's coming isn't she?"

Misty cleared her throat. "Well Ash…" She was interrupted by Dr. Howard's entrance.

"Well, well, I see you're beginning to look well Ash."

"Oh, hey! Long time no see, you treated me again, Mr. Howard?"

"That's right, and you gave me quite a scare this time," he laughed and ruffed up Ash's hair, "but in the end you made it—you never cease to amaze me."

"Well that's me," Ash did a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head, "hey do you know where my mom is?"

Dr. Howard hesitated slightly, "Oh they haven't told you yet." He glanced at everyone else before turning back. "Ash, I'm afraid your mother is, well, she's had a relapse."

Ash's eyes grew wide with fear. "What? Don't tell me she's…" Ash was so scared to finish that sentence.

"Don't worry she's fine. She's across the hall, and is still recovering. She had tried to kill herself again, but we managed to save her before she lost too much blood," Howard said silently.

Ash began to shiver and sat on his knees, despite how much pain this caused him. "I don't believe this…" he whispered, looking down at his hands.

It was all his fault. If he always didn't fall into so much trouble, if he wasn't so careless that day, if only he would_ think_ every once in a while, she wouldn't be…

"Ash, Ash look at me." Ash heard Dr. Howard's voice and looked up. Everyone looked at him, worry in their eyes, and he suddenly noticed why. Ash had begun to shiver violently. He held one arm with his hand.

"I'm sorry I—can I see her?"

Dr. Howard sighed. "Ash you really shouldn't move around so much—"

"Please?" There was mixed emotion in Ash's eyes, and Howard cracked just by looking at them.

"Alright. Just be careful."

Ash got up as quickly as he could and walked across the hall, the others looked at him as he went.

Howard broke the silence. "Ever since Ash was little he was always very close to his mother, but I suppose you all knew that. Ash was even reconsidering not going on his journey because he had never been more than a few hours apart from her. But Delia thought it was best, she said that Ash should learn to grow and survive without her. I was worried about how Ash's departure would affect her condition, but she seemed to get better. Ash's journey was the best thing that happened for both of them." Dr. Howard smiled, "but I can't help but wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Brock asked.

"If that truly was the best thing. Ash is all that Delia has, and Delia is all that Ash has, if either one of them was to die…I don't know what the other would really do…" Dr. Howard sighed. "Well we can all rest a little now, they're both fine and that's all that matters."

Delia to her dismay didn't see Ash come in, she didn't realize how tired she truly was, and went back to sleep waiting for him.

Ash sat in the chair by her bed. He noticed how tired and pale she looked, the dark circles under her eyes, the silent wrinkles of worry beginning to set in, her hair completely disheveled—it was then that he realized it had been a long time since he'd seen her hair down. A vision of her came to him. _When was the last time her hair was down? Oh yeah I remember… at the beach once. She seemed so happy. Then there was that picture…with her and dad…she had that same smile…_

Ash gripped his knees. He was breaking he knew it. _Why? Why when you were so happy? Did I do this to you? Have I been killing you mom?_

He began to shiver again. _I killed you didn't I? Mom, do you ever wish I was never born? Would you have been happier without me?_ He cursed himself for thinking this way, but he couldn't really help it. He shook even harder. _Mom, mom I'm so sorry…_

"Ash?"

Ash looked up and saw his friends gathered around him. It was then that Ash realized he was crying. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to…I did this didn't I? This is my fault. I did this, I killed her…she did this for me and I—I…"

"Ash…" Misty cautiously wrapped her arms around him, like a mother does her child, and held him close to her. Her heart felt very heavy_. This feeling…I've felt it before…it's almost like when…they died…_

She began to cry too. She didn't know why, or maybe she did, but she buried her head in his shoulder so Ash wouldn't see her.

"This is…too much…" Dawn whispered. She ran out of the room with May close behind.

Brock also didn't know how much he could take. He wanted to say something, anything, but he looked at Misty and Ash and discovered he didn't need to. Misty, whether she knew it or not, was doing enough talking.

Brock also left, leaving Misty holding Ash closer than she ever had before. It was a few minutes of silence, but then Misty spoke up through her tears. "Ash," she whispered in his ear, "I—I'm here for you if you ever need me…I know…exactly what you are going through, because I went through it too."

"You did?"Ash whispered back.

"It's the reason I left…"Misty began to cry again. It had been a long time since she cried for them. The parents she never knew.

* * *

><p>"When I was little, I seemed to always get into trouble."<p>

Ash was talking to everyone now, telling them all exactly about Delia's condition.

"One day I remember, me and mom were coming home from somewhere out of town—she had us traveling for some reason or another—but anyway we had came to this bridge we had to cross. It had been raining for a few days before, so I remember the water looking really choppy. We were halfway across when I noticed something floating downstream. As it came closer I realized it was a small baby Pikachu. It was drowning and I wanted to save it, but mom held me back, she said something about it being too dangerous. But I didn't just want to let it suffer so I jumped in anyway. Big mistake."

Ash sighed and held his head down.

"And once again Ash gets into something he can't get out of," May laughed.

"Well, did you save the Pikachu?" Dawn asked.

"Oh yeah, but now we were both going down the river, and I couldn't get back to the river bank. So I was trying hard to keep both our heads above water, my mom was running and screaming like crazy, and that's when I noticed two guys coming from the other direction. I yelled for them, and I could see them running, so I thought everything was ok. Then…" He trailed off.

"Then?" Brock asked.

"Then I remember hitting something, I think it was a rock, I didn't even see it coming. It all gets dark for a minute, and I could feel myself going under. Then I felt like a shock across my face and that's when I woke up and pulled through to the surface."

"Wow that's amazing." Dawn said.

"Once I got from under the water I saw that one of the men had tossed out a rope to me, I don't know how they managed to even get one, but I grabbed it as hard as I could as they pulled me in. I somehow lost consciousness again; I guess the whole impact of it all was too much. Well, I woke up a few hours later in the hospital. After that I remember getting really sick, I think the doctors said it was pneumonia, and it wasn't looking all that good at first, but then I pulled through."

"How many brushes with death you've had?" Misty asked.

Ash laughed, "You don't want to know. Anyway it was then that my mom realized just how important I was to her. She didn't want to lose me. I guess you can't really blame her; she lost her parents when she was really young, and then dad died before I was born. She spent most of her life alone before I came along."

"Wow you two really do depend on each other," Dawn was amazed by the close bond they shared, "it almost seems surreal."

"Yeah, not many parents are that connected to their children anymore, but I guess you have a very good reason," May agreed, "I think I'm going to go call my mom now."

"Wait I want to call my mom too!" Dawn ran out along with May.

"Ahh, it's nice to inspire people." Ash laughed.

"So," Brock started, "what happens now?"

"Huh?"

"Well you're going to have to leave eventually right? Do you think you're mother will be ok?"

Ash sighed. "I don't know."

"You're mother has always been really strong, Ash," Misty put in, "I know she can get through this, she has before right?"

"You're right Misty."

It was then that Dr. Howard came in. "Hey Ash, you're mom is awake."

"She is?" Ash's heart seemed to leap for joy.

"Yep and she wants to see you."

* * *

><p>"Ash…"<p>

"Mom? Hi there, are you ok?" Ash looked sorrowfully at his mother. He felt completely responsible for her dramatic downfall.

"Ash don't give me that look."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh Ash this isn't your fault."

"Can't I still feel bad?"

"No." She gave a little laugh. "Are you disappointed?"

"No."

"Not even angry?"

"No. Why would I be? I understand more about it all now."

"Really?" Delia looked at Ash for the first time since he stepped in the room.

"Well yeah, I mean if my child was as reckless as I am I would probably do the same thing." Ash laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Ash…you can never truly understand what I'm feeling until you have a child of your own. You know I love you, and I'm really sorry about all that I've done—"

"Mom don't apologize." Ash cut her off. "You have no right to apologize! It's not your fault and you know that!"

"I only wish I was stronger…for you…"

"You are mom don't you see that? You're still here right? You survived for 8 years while I was gone, doesn't that prove anything? If you can get through that you can get through anything! Please…don't doubt yourself. You are strong mom. You been through so much and…you're still here…that means something, at least to me." Ash sighed. He hated when her mother second guessed herself.

Delia looked at Ash for a bit. There was something there she knew was familiar, it made her want to believe but….

"Ash, come closer to me."

Ash was puzzled for a second, and then understood. He smiled and reached out to hug her.

Delia wanted this, to feel Ash once again in her arms, and she closed her eyes in efforts to remember his scent. That's when she felt it. She pulled him away and looked at his face.

"What is it mom? Is there something wrong?" Ash asked.

"God...you look so much like him. You're even starting to sound like him." She touched his face.

"Like who mom?"

"Like…your father." She grew silent.

"Oh." Ash gave a solemn look. He never asked his mother exactly how he died, he never even asked about what he was like. He figured it was too much for her to go through and never pressed the issue, but this part he felt he had to know. "Is that…good?"

Delia looked into Ash's eyes and smiled. "It's wonderful. You're father was a great man, Ash, and he gave his life to save me. To save us."

Ash smiled. "Well I at least got his good looks too right?"

They both laughed.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," Dawn started, "Team Rocket has been after you the entire tournament?"<p>

Ash and Brock both nodded. "At first it was just Jessie and James, no big deal. Then random people would come, and then they started to come when I was alone," Ash exhaled. "Then after the tournament, they just disappeared! It was really weird and I thought it was all over, but I still had an uneasy feeling…"

"That's why you looked so distant when I left you! Darn I knew I should have stayed." Dawn thought aloud.

"No way Dawn, then you would've gotten hurt too." Ash looked down at his hands.

"And you didn't tell me any of this! All this time I thought we had no secrets Ash!" Misty was livid although she was trying to hold back some of her anger.

Ash sighed. "I'm sorry Misty, but I didn't want you to worry. It would have been wasted energy."

"Wasted energy? So I can't worry about you anymore is that it? That makes no sense!" She yelled back.

Ash amazing kept his cool, being too depressed to get angry. "Because seeing you worry would make me worry, that's why I didn't tell you, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted you stay happy."

This took Misty by surprise_. Since when did he start worrying about me? _

"Ash, I—just tell me next time please? I don't want you to…" She found herself trailing off for some reason.

"To what?"

"To…nothing. I'm just rambling."

They had shared a look, neither knowing what to say, and then May broke the awkward silence.

"But I don't get it; Team Rocket has never been that interested in you before, why now?"

Ash looked thoughtful for a second, but then shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, I guess they're getting tired of Jessie and James blasting off!"

Everyone laughed at that, but Ash had another uneasy feeling_. I hope it's not what I'm thinking…_

Ash had ended up thinking all that night. One part of him was excited that him and his mother would be leaving together, the other part was more afraid than anything. If Team Rocket really was after him for the same reason that he was thinking of…he had to be sure. He hated to do this, but he went to his mother's room to wake her.

"Ash? What's wrong?" Delia rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Mom, I need to talk to you…about Team Rocket…"

* * *

><p>A new day in Pallet began bright and early, but maybe a little too bright. May looked at Ash and Delia. "Hey what's wrong you two?"<p>

Both had their hands up to their faces. "The sun," they moaned.

"Oh that's right," Brock remembered, "Neither of you have been out in a week, but it's worse for you Ash, isn't it?"

"Ya think Brock?" Sarcastic Ash shielded his eyes again. _Damn sun…_

"Now be careful you two and take care of each other," Dr. Howard said, "Oh and Delia Diane is coming by tonight to check on you."

Delia smiled. "Thank you Howard, for everything."

She knew this was only the beginning. Now that the whole town had known of her relapse, she wouldn't be surprised if there was a line of people waiting for her when she got home. She dreaded that, all the questions and sympathetic stares, so she decided to avoid it for as long as possible.

"Hey everyone, how about I treat you all to breakfast this morning!" she said excitedly.

Ash smiled. _She's back to her old self again._ "But do you have money mom?"

"Nope, but you do. I went in your backpack this morning. Everyone thank Ash and follow me!"

"Thank you Ash!" Everyone laughed all the way to the restaurant.

* * *

><p><em>If things really are going to be this way…then I have no choice…<em>

Ash had been thinking all day. Ever since the talk with his mom last night, he couldn't get the thought out of his mind that Team Rocket was after him, and that tormented him. Of course he went throughout the day pretending that nothing was wrong, even went with his mom gave everyone a tour of the city—which wasn't much—but he was still enthusiastic about it. Now he sat on a grassy hill overlooking the small town, unable to pretend anymore, and mulled over his thoughts for what seemed like forever.

That's when he heard familiar footsteps.

"Ash?"

Without turning around, Ash smiled. "Hey, Misty."

Misty slowly inched closer to him. "Are you ok? I noticed you seem a little distant today."

Damn. He forgot he could hide nothing from Misty. No, not her, the only girl he knew for eight years, she knew him almost as well as his mom. Nevertheless he turned around to defend himself.

"Me, distant? Yeah right." He began to laugh. Misty gave him and skeptical look, and then sat down beside him.

"Ash…I know we go through rough times together, but I want to help you with this," she said quietly.

"No one can help, Misty. I must do this alone." Ash sighed heavily.

"I thought you might do something crazy like that." _What an idiot, he's going to try and face Team Rocket alone. I guess I should expect this but still…no, I should look at this from Ash's perspective._

"So you're going to try and stop me?" Ash asked.

Misty sighed, and looked deep in Ash's eyes. _Since when were they filled with such sadness?_

"Ash, I know this is hard for you, and I can't make things right, but the least I can do is support you and your decisions. I care for you, and want you to be safe like everyone else, but in the end it's your life and your decision, and I'm not going to try and force you to do what I want you to do. It's why I ran away in the first place."

Ash looked away from Misty and cast his eyes down. He remembered the story Misty told him in the hospital.

"Misty I think you've been through a hell of a lot more than I have. I think that's why we understand each other so well. But I—I'm…afraid….of a lot of things. But most of all the thought of losing my friends, my family, my pokemon…you…"

This caught Misty's attention. _He doesn't want to lose me? Me of all people? Why? What makes me so special?_

Ash successfully hid his blush by placing his head on his knees. _Misty has lost so much…and so have I. I can't help but feel…even more connected to her…damn now I know for sure. I'm falling for her…_

Ash stood and drug Misty along with her. "Misty, I know this is selfish, and I might end up hating myself for this, but…would you consider coming with me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean with everyone else of course, if they're willing. I know it might be risky, and chances are that one of us would probably get hurt, but I just feel that things might be better this way."

"And how exactly?"

Ash took a deep breath. "If Team Rocket were ever to find out where I live, who my friends are, well, you get it don't you? I want to keep you guys close in case something happens."

"And what about your mom?"

"She'll be with Professor Oak the whole time."

Misty sighed. "It's not that I don't want to go with you, it's just that I'm worried what my sisters would say. They're supposed to leave in a few days."

"Screw them."

"Ash!"

"I mean it Misty, they treated you awful. Lucky I don't come down there and tell them what rotten shit they are."

"Ash! I won't let you talk about them like that! Besides, I was little then, and they've accepted what happened."

"Did they ever apologize to you?"

Misty grew silent. _Well let's see…ok maybe not in so many words, but they have moved on and grew up right?_

"Hmph, see what I mean?" Ash crossed his arms and smiled his best winning smile. It took everything Misty had not to smile back at it.

"Alright fine, I'll go with you, but let me at least call my sisters and tell them."

"You should tell them we're eloping. That'll freak them out, I bet they hate me."

Misty blushed furiously. "Eloping? What the heck Ash? They don't even hate you, they like you better than they do me."

Ash smiled. "I figured that. I just like making my little Corsola smile."

Misty winced. "I told you to quit calling me that, it's stupid."

Ash moved closer, still smiling. "I don't know why, I thought you loved water pokemon?"

He loved calling Misty by his beloved nickname for her ever since he caught her one morning blushing madly all throughout a phone call. She wouldn't say why she was blushing but he noticed that she turned as pink as a Corsola, hence her nickname was born.

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?" He was dangerously close to Misty now, he could have sworn he felt her heartbeat. He gulped inwardly. _Damn Ash, fight temptation, fight temptation, God she looks so…I could pull her down to the grass right now and…shit—shit think of something else why don't you—anything else!_

It was then Misty was saved from Ash's growing desire, she was distracted by the sunset. She smiled. "Watching this makes you feel so alive doesn't it? There's nothing like watching the day end and realizing you made it through."

Ash smiled back. "You're right." He backed up a little from her, and immediately missed her warmth, but noticed how the vanishing sun made her look so heavenly. Every part of her seemed to be on fire, not a violent fire, but a beautiful, soft fire, like a strong phoenix about to die gloriously. Was she waiting for someone to bring her back to life? Can he bring her back? No, she was strong enough to do it on her own—wasn't she? Course she is, she's done it before—right?

"Ash…"

Ash snapped out of his daydream. "Huh?"

"You sure you're ok? I thought I lost you."

"No, no Misty. You could never lose me, I was just lost in the sunset that's all."

Misty gave a warm smile. "C'mon, I forgot I came here to bring you back."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to do this dear? No doubts right?" Ash's mother looked fearful for her son's life, but with good reason. Nothing like this has ever happened before.<p>

Ash smiled with confidence. "Don't worry, mom, I'll be fine everyone is with me."

The night before, Ash had convinced the others to come along with him and Misty, although there wasn't much convincing. Everyone was just as excited as Ash about taking out one of the biggest evil corporations in the world. Everything was going to be fine, no worries—yet.

They were all at Professor Oak's lab that morning. Ash had chosen four pokemon so far to help him on his journey: Quilava, Noctowl, Bayleef, and Kingler. He knew the fifth would be Pikachu, when he found him, but the other one….

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Misty's voice rang throughout the halls.

"Is she still talking with her sisters?" Dawn asked.

"Well, talking is such a loose term in this case." May looked down to room where Misty was. Her angry voice she hadn't heard as many times as Ash and Brock, it made her jump.

"Well, I'm just being truthful Misty," Violet shrunk a little, "Is all of this really important?"

"How dare you ask that question? It's exactly the same as when Team Rocket stole _my_ pokemon that night—oh that's right, you weren't there! Too busy with your freakin' manicure—"

"Hey! It was an emergency!"

"Forgive me, am I interrupting?" Ash made his grand entrance at this point. Misty turned to scowl at him, only to turn around to scowl at her sisters, all three were now looking at Misty as if asking her to choose between them and Ash.

"Well, if it isn't Ash! My you've grown, it's so nice to see you again." Lily said.

_I don't like that look she's giving him…_ Misty scowl grew deeper.

Ash could feel Misty's anger a mile away and attempted to lighten the situation.

"Well, it's nice to see you are all as beautiful as ever," Ash said through a fake smile, "I'm sure you guys are beating yourselves with bats to keep the men away."

"We sure are!" Lily said cheerfully.

Misty almost died from laughter right there.

Ash waved this off. "Anyway, I was hoping you all would allow me to spend a little more time with Misty."

"We'd love to Ash," Daisy spoke up, "but we're, like, leaving in a few days and we don't have any time to lose."

"Aww, come on guys, you forget I haven't seen Misty in over three years, and I wouldn't mind looking at her a bit longer…"Ash bit his lip to try and hold off his blush, the dream from last night instantly popping in his head.

"Ash…" Violet spoke up.

"Oh please you guys, just a bit longer, besides I haven't given her my surprise yet! Please…just give me a chance to do this…."

Ash had given Misty's sisters the ultimate look. His light brown puppy eyes could make anyone weak in the knees, Misty had felt for it tons of times, and now his bright eyes filled with glistening tears looked mournful. The pleading look was unbearable for any woman, something Ash come to realize about three years ago. Brock had taught him that trick.

"I still hate them…" Misty was still seething with anger, despite the fact that Ash's trick worked: Misty was given all the time in the world.

Ash laughed as he sat next to her on the grass. "Hey think of it this way, I said I wanted more time with you and that's just what I got, and don't worry about your sisters too much because you're with me now and I always have your back."

Misty looked up at him. "What's with you, you've been extremely nice to me."

"What I can't be nice to a good friend, who is basically saving my life now? I'm just thanking you for coming with me."

Misty smiled into his eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Then she felt it. The same feeling she got during that dream when Ash was in the hospital, the look he gave her right before he…oh no.

_Ash is so close, was he always like this? His eyes, they show my reflection, but what else do I see? This feeling…_

Ash slowly, carefully, danced his fingers on her cheeks, and pulled her stray hair around her ear. _Damn why is this happening again? Stupid, stupid Ash can't you realize this can't happen? Misty is your friend and nothing more damnit! But why do I feel this way? Someone, anyone, stop me before I…_

They found their faces growing closer to each other, and they became lost in each other, unable to even think or breathe.

_I can…feel his…breath…is this right? This feeling?_

They were about to put this to the test when May came up from behind. "Hey, Ash!"

They both jumped as high as Aipom could and separated with strong evident blushes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," May had to blush now, "am I interrupting—"

"No!" They both said, through shaken, cracked voices.

"Oh, ok, umm…oh right, well I just wanted to let you know that we're ready whenever you are." May turned around and walked away. _Wow, did I just see…damn I just interrupted something really good!_

Ash and Misty sat frozen for a second, and then looked at each other.

_The look is still there…._

* * *

><p>Yay! Finally we are heading out of Pallet! Excitement time! Well I'm glad I finally explained Misty's nickname and you guys get the whole Pikachu chapter now right? Well anyways I'm afraid of spoiling something if I go any further so I'll stop for now. Rate and comment please!<p>

Until next time...


	9. Chapter 9: And So It Begins

Hi everyone! I come today with another chapter! First off I would like to say thanks to all those that have been commenting on my story. It makes me really happy because it is my first one, and my writing isn't really perfect, so thanks to all those who have been reading. I'm sorry if I do make a few mistakes, but using Word can be a little frustrating and there all little things here and there that I miss, but thanks for all the suggestions and comments and be sure to keep them coming because it really helps. Well enough of that, just to remind you all that the words in **bold** are flashbacks, the words in _italics_ are the thoughts that people have, and...no I think that's it. Well, I'm known to ramble on so I'll let you all read now. Enjoy!

Disclamer: I don't own Pokemon, just a few original characters that I make up along the way.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: And So It Begins…<strong>

"Hey are you sure you want to do this Tracy? You don't really have to…" Ash pleaded with him for the third time.

"Ash, I'm serious I really want to come, and besides I'm with you guys now right? If I was scared I would've ran off a while ago," Tracy replied back.

Tracy had unexpectantly decided to come with little interference from Professor Oak. Delia was fine with it, and so was everyone else, so why was Ash so worried?

His mind flashed back to his conversation with his mom earlier that morning:

"**I'm personally taking all my friends as my own responsibility," Ash said softly, "I won't let them down, I'm bringing them with me and I'll make sure none of them gets hurt."**

"**Ash, don't worry so much," Delia said, trying to put his mind at ease, "All of your friends are strong trainers and I'm sure they can handle themselves."**

**Ash nodded. "Yeah I guess, but still…no, I'm sure everything will be fine right? No worries, besides the good guys always win!"**

He kept that attitude, but with more of his close personal friends involved he still held that lingering fear.

"Hey, Ash, where _are_ we going?" Dawn asked the question of the hour.

Ash laughed, "Oh yeah that's right I never told you guys!" He pulled a map from his bag.

"Ok so we are here," he pointed to the edge of the Pallet Town, "and we are going all the way west to here," he pointed to a port off the edge of a town.

"Hey that's Cerulean City!" Tracy pointed out.

"Umm, yeah…" Ash dreaded where this was going.

"Hey can we go there please?" Dawn grew excited by the minute.

"Yeah I want to go too." May agreed.

"It would be nice to see your sisters again," Brock's face flushed with a dumb look.

"Maybe for you..." Misty and Ash said.

Ash looked to Misty. "Well, what do you say?"

"I say no!" She crossed her arms and looked away, angry for her sisters even being brought up.

"Awww, come on Misty, I would love to see what you're gym looks like!" Dawn pleaded again.

_Well, I would like to see if things are going well…_ Misty considered.

She sighed. "Well…"

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Yes, this should be fun!" Dawn jumped up and down and sped off into forest.

"Hey Dawn, wait for us!" Brock yelled after her.

The others went off but Misty held Ash back.

"Damn it Ash, why did you do that?" Misty asked, her temper already getting the best of her.

"I'm sorry Misty, I know this would be a bad time for you to come back home, but we won't even stay a day, I promise," Ash answered, silently pleading with Misty not to be so angry.

Misty's anger slowly faded.

"Well fine," she began to walk away, "the faster we get out the better."

Ash couldn't help but feel sorry for her. This time is supposed to be the favorite time of the year to spend with your family besides holidays, but for Misty, it was just another day to relive her nightmare.

* * *

><p>It was a few hours into the forest when Misty remembered something.<p>

"Hey Ash, didn't you say that you had some surprise for me?"

Ash, who was leading the way, turned around. "Oh yeah I almost forgot!" Ash pulled out his map. "Let's see… it should be…okay, follow me Misty!" Ash got excited once again and pulled Misty along with him.

"Hey where are we going Ash?" May yelled after them, "This won't take us out of our way will it?"

"Don't worry, we're fine!" Ash yelled back.

Ash got even more excited and tugged Misty harder.

"Ash, not so fast! Where are we going? Hey—we got to wait for the others or we're going to lose them! Ash!" Misty yelled at him and tugged him back until he slowed down.

"Fine, fine, come on you guys you have to see this!" Ash stopped and turned in the direction of everyone else.

May caught up first, followed by Dawn, Brock, and Tracy.

"What's the big idea, Ash?" Dawn furiously tried to catch her breath, "You could've killed us!"

"It's something to get used to, Dawn, Ash has grown a full two inches since you left and his legs are a lot stronger. He also runs every morning," Brock pointed out.

"You do? No wonder you call at seven in the morning sometimes, that's really annoying you know!" Misty finally remembered to yell at him for that.

"Mist, you know I like to piss you off…anyway come on it's not too far now." Ash walked this time, and eventually they came to a clearing a little outside of the forest that had a few steep steps made of rock that led to a lake.

Misty stopped in her tracks. "This…is…" Her eyes grew. "You remembered!"

Ash laughed. "Why wouldn't I? Do you remember?"

Misty ran a little ahead and spun around to smile at him. "How could I not?" She laughed.

"Umm, I'm a little confused," Tracy spoke up for everyone else.

"Yeah Ash, what is this place?" Brock asked.

Ash scratched his hair nervously. "Oh, yeah, well—"

Misty came and put her arm around him. "This is the place where we first met, and you remembered!" She laughed again and gave Ash a hug.

"Really?" Dawn asked, a bit surprised, "Wow Ash, this place must be pretty special for you to remember after all this time. I bet you can't even remember where we met!"

Ash failed to fight a strong blush. "Course I can, I just have to think that's all."

"Just think, eight years we were in this exact spot and _you _were stealing my bike. Then you destroyed it." Misty smiled.

_We were so naive then. I held a grudge over a bike for months, and in the end I gained a best friend. So much worthless fighting for nothing!_

Ash flinched, he felt an old battle coming on, "But I did give it back!" he said quickly.

Misty turned to him, "No you didn't, Nurse Joy did!"

"Well yeah, the finished product, but who do you think paid for it?"

This took Misty by surprise. "You? When?"

Ash looked at his shoes. _Damn I got mud on them; these are brand new and everything…._

"Ash?" Misty asked again.

Ash sighed. He knew he was going to get hit for this. "Uh, I guess, about a year before you left."

"A year? Why didn't you tell me?" Misty wasn't angry surprisingly, she was shocked; he had the perfect opportunity to stop so many fights about that dumb bike but he didn't. Why?

"I told him to tell you," Brock said silently.

"Thanks Brock." Ash scowled at him.

"Ash," Misty touched his shoulder and tried to look into his eyes, which was hard since his head was down, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Umm, well…" He looked away again in another attempt to hide his blush, which only Tracy saw.

_Wow, what should I tell her? That I never wanted her to leave in the first place? That I bought it at first to stop her mouth, but realized what the bike actually meant to us? I would have never met her if it wasn't for that bike…_

"Hey Ash, Misty, we should get going and set up camp if we're going to be in a good place tonight," Tracy said to the sky.

Ash shot up, "Yeah you're right! We should get ready for bed, I am so sleepy." Ash did a fake yawn, knowing it wouldn't fool Misty but it effectively changed the subject. He ran off again. "Come on let's go!"

Misty tried to hold Brock back. "Brock you know something…"

"I really don't Misty and besides it's not my place and I'm not really sure in the first place and come on we're getting left behind," Brock said this as quickly as he ran, daring Misty to try and get a meaning out of it.

Misty sighed and shrugged it off.

_I guess there's no since in wondering, I got the bike back so everything's fine. But still, could the real reason be that maybe he never wanted me to go back home?_

"Hey where did Ash go?" Dawn asked. Ash had been gone ever since dinner, which he didn't eat much of to everyone's surprise.

Brock shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe he went to go think."

"Ash? Think? Ha!" Misty laughed, along with May and Dawn.

"I don't know, Misty, Ash has been acting weird ever since he left the hospital. Although I can't really blame him, I would act weird too if all my pokemon were stolen from me," Tracy said.

This caused Misty to take back her comment. "You're right. I had the same feeling when all my pokemon were stolen from me."

"No way, that happened to you too Misty?" Dawn asked.

"It was one night at the gym when I was alone. Stupid Cassidy and Butch came in and stole all my pokemon except one. I followed them all night to get them back, just thinking about it still pisses me off!" Misty was steamed having remembered that night—she was in such a deep sleep!

"Hmm, then maybe one of us should go look for him, make sure he doesn't do anything foolish," Dawn put in.

"You're right, why don't you go Misty?" May suggested. Having almost caught them doing something they shouldn't have, she figured there was something going on between the two that had to be settled eventually.

Misty held her hand to her chin in thought. "Okay, I'll see if I can cheer him up."

May smiled to herself as she saw Misty walk off.

Dawn noticed this mischievous look and asked, "May, what are you planning?"

Meanwhile Ash was sitting in an open field. He never really had much of an appetite, which he cared not to notice. Now he was sitting in a quiet place, listening to his own thoughts.

_Maybe I should head back? I don't know. I don't want everyone to worry, but I don't know if I'm ready to go back yet. _He sighed_. _

_Man why do I always get in these bad situations? All I wanted was a break from it all, can't I just get that? No, I had to go and get all my pokemon taken from me! And Pikachu….we've never been this far apart for so long…what if—what if he's…?_

Ash didn't want to think about this, but it was all he could think about. The thought of Pikachu dying in the hands of Team Rocket, it was far more than he could bear.

He had heard footsteps behind him, and somehow, he knew exactly who they belonged to. He spoke without turning around.

"Hey, Misty, are you going to come and sit with me or just stare at me from behind a tree?"

Misty stepped forward. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could smell your perfume."

"Is it really that strong?" She sat next to him.

"No, it smells really good actually." Ash blushed. _Damn did not want to say that out loud._ "I mean uh, compared to how you usually smell…"

Ash laughed as Misty slapped him on the back of his head.

"Why you! Don't even get me started on how you smell!" Misty retorted.

Ash just laughed in response.

"I'm really glad to see you're ok." Misty smiled.

"Huh?"

"Well, I just thought you'd be all distraught over the loss of Pikachu and the others."

"No…you're right, I am. Sometimes I even doubt if I can do this," Ash said sadly, letting his head fall.

"Ash, remember when I told you how Team Rocket took all of my pokemon? I was scared then too, I doubted myself too, and my abilities to get them back—especially with only one pokemon. But I never gave up, so you have to do the same."

"Yeah but you got them all back in one night! It's been almost a month now, and the longer it takes, the less spirit I have. I have faith in my pokemon and my abilities, but how long will that last? How do know they haven't killed all my pokemon already! What if I find them all—dead?" He whispered this last word, as if he was afraid it'll come true if he said it too loud.

Misty's eyes widened. "They can't—they won't die! They are strong and hot headed just like you are! If anything Pikachu could take down Team Rocket by himself! You can't give up on them, Ash, because they won't give up on you. If you stay strong and keep the faith, then you can do anything!"

"You sound like me when I was ten, Misty. Do you really believe that?"

Misty nodded. "If I can get my pokemon back, even though I was dead tired and had a weak Psyduck, then you can do it too, I just know it! You can't give up when you haven't even tried, and you won't know if they're ok unless you see them yourself right; which means that we have to go and take Team Rocket down, especially so they can't do this to anyone else!"

She pumped her fist up in determination.

Ash smiled. He realized she had been hanging around him too much, but he could feel his spirit being rejuvenated.

"You know what? You're right, I don't know unless I see them, and I have to see them—I will see them! I'll go and demolish their entire organization, and show them what happens when they take what doesn't belong to them! I'll get all my pokemon back, and once I do, I'll make sure they never mess with me again! I'll make them sorry they ever stole my pokemon!"

Ash stood up as he said this, getting more confident with every word, "If I believe in myself and my pokemon hard enough, I can do this, I know I can!"

It was then that Ash thought of something. "But…what about you guys?"

Misty looked confused, but then understood. "You're worried about us?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You guys are my friends, and I want to make sure you guys can do this. You think everyone is with me?"

Misty stood up. "Ash, of course we are with you, if we weren't we would have left long ago, and besides just look at Tracy! He came and you didn't even ask him to! See how much people care for you? We're with you 100%, no problem!"

Ash nodded. "Misty," he walked over to her and took her hands in his, "I really thank you for this, for everything." He gave her a huge smile.

Misty blushed at this sudden contact, and could slowly feel herself melting under his touch. "Ash, if I didn't believe in you I would have told you, you know that. If you need anything, and I mean this, just pull me aside and we can talk ok?"

"Really? I won't get annoying?"

Misty laughed, "Ash you're always annoying, and I wouldn't want our hero to go and feel sorry for himself. If you can open up to anyone I want it to be me, we're friends you can tell me anything, ok?"

Ash smiled and Misty returned it.

_Oh Misty, if only I could tell you how I truly feel about you…oh well, maybe someday._

"C'mon lets go back, before they send a search party for us." Misty laughed again as she lead him back to the camp, her hand still entwined in his.

* * *

><p>The next morning found Ash running back to camp; he just had to tell the others about this.<p>

"Misty! Brock! Hey everyone wake up!"

He crouched beside Misty's sleeping bag and started poking her.

"Ash!" She yelled in frustration.

"Come on my little Corsola, wake up, and wake up— ow!" Ash held his cheek, stinging red from the slap.

"Do you have to hit so hard in the morning?" Ash yelled.

"Do you have to wake up me up this early?" Misty yelled back.

"Do you guys have to argue _now_?" Brock chimed in.

"Shut up!" May yelled.

"Not now, can't this wait 'til later?" Dawn slowly stirred.

"What I miss?" Tracy was up now.

"Great you're all awake! Wait until you see this!" Ash held out a pokeball.

"Ash, I swear if that's a bug…" Misty started.

"It's not a bug, it's an old friend. Come on out and say hello!" Ash released it and out came…

"It's Pidgeot! No way!" Misty got up and ran to hug it.

"How cool is this!" Dawn pulled out her pokedex to look it up.

"Wow, is that yours Ash?" May asked.

"Yep, we ran into each other a few minutes ago," he petted Pidgeot on its head, "I asked if he wanted to come with me and he agreed! Pretty cool huh?" Ash laughed.

"Very cool, I know Pidgeot must be strong after protecting all those Pidgey and Pidgeotto," Brock said.

"Ash, I'm happy you got Pidgeot back," Misty smiled, "but—couldn't this have waited a few more hours?" She ended up yelling the last part making Ash jump a little.

"Oh, Misty I was so excited I couldn't help it I'm sorry," he began to laugh again.

Misty sighed. _Well, I guess this is better than how he was last night. It's nice to see him smile._

"Well, since we're all up anyway, how about breakfast?" Brock suggested.

After breakfast, Ash and his friends were half way through Viridian Forest without a hitch.

"!"

Almost.

The others turned around. "Hey what's wrong, Mist—oh!" Ash was mostly excited to see the Weedle snuggling up to Misty's ankle. He laughed as he walked up to her.

"Ash, you jerk, quit laughing and get this thing away from me!" Misty squirmed under the bug's touch; it took everything she had not to hide behind Ash for comfort.

"Oh I don't know Misty, I think it likes you!" Ash laughed even harder.

As Misty growled Dawn asked the obvious question. "What's up with Misty?"

"Oh that's right you don't know, Misty is terrified of bugs," Brock clarified.

"Really?"

Everyone nodded.

"Ash you ass! Do something!" Misty was near shrieking.

Ash just smiled. "What's the magic word?"

"Now!" This didn't stop Ash's laughing.

Misty growled and Tracy spoke up, "Come on Ash be Misty's hero already!" Ash smiled and reached out his arm toward Weedle.

"C'mon little one, let's leave the pretty girl alone for now." Ash chuckled softly. It was getting harder for him not to blush when giving Misty a complement. The Weedle slowly crept off of Misty's leg and onto Ash's arm.

"There you go," he sat Weedle on the ground, "now try not to go up anymore skirts huh?"

Weedle just crawled away.

"There, happy?" He turned to Misty smiling.

Misty got up fuming and mumbling to herself, "Stupid smug ass attitude…" She suddenly found herself being yanked close to him, his hands on her shoulders.

"I wouldn't be too nasty," his breath creeping along her neck, "I might just let the bugs crawl all over you…" Misty shivered and she felt her cheeks getting hot by what she knew as Ash's stupidity.

"Ash…if you value that beautiful tongue of yours…you'd shut the hell up…" Misty was on the verge of explosion.

"Hey if you two are done flirting, let's get moving!" Brock yelled. During the entire time the others were moving ahead, leaving Ash and Misty behind.

"Hey!" Misty yelled. "Don't leave me stuck here with him! Hey!"

"Are they always like this?" Dawn asked.

"Oh don't pay any attention to them, it's just the harmless flirting they do sometimes," Brock explained.

"'Harmless flirting'?" Dawn and May repeated.

"Oh yeah," Brock laughed, "If you just sit and listen to them talk on the phone, man the things they say, it's not completely rated for children!"

"They go that far?" Tracy asked.

"They only do it every once in a while when they're bored. I would have to stop them a few times. They say they don't mean anything by it, but sometimes…it's hard to tell…" Brock laughed.

May put her hand to her chin in thought.

_So what I had seen was that for fun?_ An image of them almost kissing flashed back to her.

_No, no it couldn't be. That looked far too real; they had that look and everything. _It was then that May made a revelation. _I swear, come hell or high water, and by the end of this journey Ash and Misty _will _be together! May the matchmaker will strike again!_

Too bad she never struck before…

* * *

><p>May the matchmaker! She does seem like one of those types that always gets in others business, but I still love her though she's awesome, even though I didnt see all the episodes that featured her so honestly I dont know her character perfectly. It was so hard to explain the place where Ash and Misty met for some reason! Even though I had seen the first episode over again to make sure I still wasn't able to explain perfectly, but you all know what I mean right? Anyways since this is an AAML, Misty will be helping Ash a lot, so there will probably be lots of little moments that show Ash and Misty alone together (but it's nothing sexual I promise!) Anyway I'm super excited for the next chapter, which shows what happens when Misty returns to Cerulean City.<p>

Until next time...


	10. Chapter 10: Misty Part 1

I'm so excited for this chapter! I have been working it for about two weeks on it and I think it's ok enough to finally post. I hope you guys like this one, but I must warn you that Misty's sisters are not written in the same way as they are in the anime and if you're disappointed I'm sorry, but I did it for a reason. Anyway hope you enjoy!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the original characters, except the ones I made up in this story.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Misty—Part 1<strong>

Ash knew he was probably going to get beaten for this but he couldn't help it. Today was a special day, whether she understood it or not, and for once she was going to spend it with her family.

He crept over to her sleeping bag.

_Man did she always look so…beautiful? Damn Ash snap out of it, your number one goal today is to make her happy!_

"Misty…Misty wake up…" he shook her a little, but Misty only turned over.

_Man, she can be like me sometimes when she when she sleeps… _Ash tried again, this time whispering random stuff in her ear.

"Misty, what I want most in the world is…a new bike," He laughed. "And I want it to be red with silver streaks, and better make it a ten speed, and…"

"Ash, shut up," Misty whispered back.

"So you're awake? Good, cause I want to tell you something."

"Can't this wait 'til later?" Misty asked groggily.

"No way, it has to be now!" Ash whispered in response.

Misty sighed. Even though her eyes were closed she could feel Ash's smile piercing her. She slowly opened them to find out she was right, and to make sure she was blushing at her hardest, he placed his arms around her.

"Hi my little Corsola, happy birthday," he said gently in her ear.

Misty smiled. "Thank you Ash, now get off of me."

Ash's childlike laugh was his response. He was about to say something else when Brock stepped in.

"Gosh, Ash why don't you just get in her sleeping bag already!" he yelled loudly.

This made Ash blush like crazy, and he crept away too embarrassed to make a comeback.

Misty giggled. "Hey, is breakfast ready yet?"

Brock nodded. "Everyone come get it while it's hot!"

It only took about an hour of walking before they all finally reached a familiar city.

"Hey there it is, Cerulean City!" May exclaimed excitedly, after all they haven't been to a city since making a quick stop in Pewter to get Brock's pokemon.

"Alright! Let's hurry and go see your sisters!" Brock sped off; it was going to be hard for anyone to catch up to him.

"Geez, some things never change," May laughed.

They anxiously followed, except for Misty and Ash, who dragged a little behind. However, it wasn't very hard to catch up to him, because he, like everyone else, became awe-inspired by all the decorations surrounding them. There were banners, balloons, graffiti, and everything else that would be seen at a birthday party.

"Wow…the only thing missing is a parade! What's with all this stuff, Misty?" Tracy asked.

Just as Misty was going to answer, she heard someone calling her name.

"Misty! Hey there she is! Everyone, it's Misty!"

Misty flinched as nearly everyone in the city ran up to meet her, knocking away Ash and the others in the process. Misty became instantly surrounded by a chorus of people saying hello, how are you, and happy birthday.

"Misty it's so good to see you!"

"Misty, we were hoping you'd come back today!"

"Hey Misty, how's your boyfriend, we heard he was hurt, is he ok?"

"Yeah he's ok isn't he? How are you two getting along?"

Misty turned about as red as the shirt she was wearing.

"Guys, he's really not my—" but she was cut off again by more questions, mostly about Ash.

Ash was about two feet away, and also blushing hard from embarrassment.

"Sooo Ash, how they figure Misty was your girl?" Dawn smiled.

Ash laughed nervously, "There's really a reasonable explanation!"

Just as Ash was about to attempt to explain, one of the ladies that was around Misty came and caught him by the arm.

"Here he is!" She triumphantly laughed, proud of her capture, "Sorry, Ash, didn't mean to take you away from your beloved!" She took Ash and Misty's hands and placed them together.

Ash attempted to explain again, "But she's really not—"

"Oh just forget it," Misty cut him off this time, "Thank you guys for worrying, but we got to get to the gym now." She dragged him off quickly not even waving to the ones who were saying goodbye—she was far too embarrassed to turn around.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled.

"Don't be, I thought it was kind of cute, and it would make sense to the average person because we're around each other so much." Ash began to laugh.

"Really? You thought it was cute? I just thought you would be angry for them calling me your girlfriend," Misty said, looking down at her feet as she was walking.

"That's stupid, why on earth would I be angry?" he asked.

"I—I don't know…" Misty trailed off, thinking of a random memory from Violet.

"**Ash? Be with you? Ha! Who would want a little bossy runt like you?"**

Her laughed taunted Misty's ears, and made her so mad that she didn't even notice she was squeezing the life out of Ash's hand.

"Ow! Misty, what the hell?" he yelled.

"Oh I'm sorry Ash, I wasn't paying attention," Misty said.

"I would ask why you'd gotten so angry just now, but being here answers my question."

They had just stepped up to the gym, waiting on the others to catch up.

"I'm sorry…" Misty mumbled.

"Hey! Now's not the time to get all distressed, besides this is the time to be happy, when was the last time you were home on your birthday?" Ash asked.

Misty sighed. "Since the year I left here for the first time…"

Ash looked in her eyes and saw she wasn't lying.

"Are you serious? Misty, you've been a gym leader for five years, where do you go on your birthday?"

"Well," she replied, "I just walk around outside town a little, make up some excuse to leave—like to catch pokemon or something, then I come back around midnight."

Ash felt bad for Misty now; a part of him was beginning to think that this was a mistake.

"Misty…"

"Hey what's the big idea of running off and leaving us?" May's voice came up from behind.

"I'm sorry May, today is just a bad day to be around a crowd for me," Misty apologized.

"I suppose it was ok, but what about all these decorations? Is there a festival going on today?" May asked.

"Well, I guess you can say that. Every year, the people have a little celebration for my birthday. They do it for my sisters too, but me especially, I guess because I'm the gym leader!" Misty felt a twinge of regret for feeling proud of herself for some reason but shrugged it off.

"Ok, let's see if the inside is still in one piece at least…" she mumbled.

Misty was a bit relieved to see everything still as it was when she left, and she made herself feel better by taking May and Dawn for a tour around the gym.

"Hey Ash, is it just me, or has Misty been a little off today?" Tracy asked.

"You're right, she seems a lot sadder," Brock added.

Ash sighed; he randomly tapped his fingers on the table they were sitting close to.

"I—I think this was a mistake…to bring her here now…I only wanted to help fix things, and here I am messing things up," he replied.

"Hey don't be that way, and how do you know that you're messing things up when nothing has even happened yet?" Brock asked patiently.

Ash looked at them, seeing the concerns on their faces, he knew they would find out eventually, but it wasn't going to be voluntarily.

"Let's just say, I have a very bad feeling. I can't really explain it right now, but things…just don't seem right."

Tracy nodded. "Things do seem a bit off here, I wonder where Daisy, Lily, and Violet are."

Back with Misty, May, and Dawn, Misty was showing off her newly evolved Kingdra.

"Wow, it looks great Misty, have you won any matches with it yet?" Dawn asked.

"Not yet, she still needs a little more training before I put her in a match," Misty smiled.

Needing to break the ice with Ash a little if she wanted her plan to succeed, May asked a random question, "Hey, Misty have you ever won any matches against Ash?"

Misty laughed. "Quite a few actually, we've battled so much we can predict each other's moves, it's really funny when you think about it!"

"Wow, you two must have gotten along well when you were traveling with him," Dawn added.

Misty laughed even harder.

"Yeah right! At first we couldn't stand each other, but then we could tolerate each other, now it seems we can't get enough of each other! There was a time he was here every summer, but for the past three years we've just been talking on the phone because he got so tied up in his training."

Misty sighed and continued, "But at least he's here with me for a little while right? I mean, I'm really glad to be traveling with all you guys, but I've personally been excited about Ash the most. It brings back old memories."

She smiled softly at this. _This might be the last time I can see Ash this much so I have to enjoy every moment. _

"Well, it's nice to know that after all this time you two are so close, and now I see why everyone in town thought you guys were a couple!" May smiled, completely satisfied with Misty's answer.

"A couple, who in their right mind would think that?" a voice said from behind.

Misty knew that voice anywhere. Her anger beginning to rise, she turned around.

Ash suddenly flinched. He can feel Misty's anger a mile away for some reason. He got up and began to try and find her.

"Hey Ash, wait up!" Tracy said, him and Brock following close behind.

"Like, Misty! What are you doing here? Who are your friends?" Violet spoke up first.

Misty sighed. "This is May and Dawn. Guys these are my sisters, Violet, Lily, and Daisy."

They all said hello, then Lily asked the same question to Misty that Violet just asked, but a little more fiercely.

Misty could feel her hands tightening up. "I'm just here to check on the gym and you guys," She gave her best smile.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Oh. Well, when are you leaving?"

"Tonight, we got to keep moving," Misty replied.

"Hey, is it just me or are they not really that close?" May cautiously whispered to Dawn.

"I think you're right, I'm definitely sensing tension here," Dawn whispered back.

"Oh, hey it's nice to see you guys finally here!"

Everyone turned around to see Ash, Brock and Tracy walk up to them. "We were just beginning to wonder what happened to you guys!" Ash continued.

"Oh wow, is that, like, you Ash?" Lily practically hopped over to him. "Wow you've grown, and you've gotten so good looking!"

"Uh, y-you what?" Ash was beyond shocked; he never had an older woman hit on him before. He turned around for help only to receive Tracy's confused look and Brock's love-sick jealousy.

"Oh definitely! If only you were, like, a little older I would totally…" she glanced around, then whispered things in Ash's ear that had him getting redder by the second.

Ash was completely speechless, Lily was about to say something else when Misty, shaking with anger, stepped in between them. There were plenty of things she could have said at this moment, but didn't want to completely lose her cool everyone.

"Lily, I'm afraid Ash has other things to do, like help me train!"

Another shock to everyone, since it had been a while since Ash and Misty trained together.

"That's right, so could you please not bother him today? He needs to stay focused!" Misty stopped herself from getting to the exploding point by ending the conversation, but it was very hard not to retaliate.

_How dare she hit on Ash? Who the hell does she think she is?_

"Alright, well then like I guess we'll see you all later. Good luck training!" Lily said happily, pretending as if Misty's anger didn't exist, and then they all left out the way they came in.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close. Thanks Mi—ow!" Ash was interrupted by a hard slap from Misty.

"What the hell?" Ash yelled.

"You're just like a man you know that? You're so dumb it's irritating!" Misty stomped off before Ash could be given a chance to talk back, as if he could.

He looked back at Brock and Tracy.

"Shit, I knew this was a bad idea…"

* * *

><p>After the previous incident Ash knew it was safer to stay away from Misty for a while. He lay on the living room couch, trying to read a magazine, but ended up thinking of nothing but Misty.<p>

_What's she so mad for anyway? So what her older sister was hitting on me, and said some real crazy stuff in my ear, is that something to slap me over? Aww, who am I kidding of course it is! Damn I'm such an idiot, Lily was totally hitting on me and I was powerless to stop her—if I really wanted to. So wait, was Misty jealous? She couldn't be, could she?_

'**You're so dumb it's irritating!'**

Ash sighed. _No. She was just mad as hell, and I wouldn't blame her if it was the other way around. Dang it what am I going to do? Maybe my birthday gift would cheer her up…_

Ash didn't even notice May sneak in behind him.

_If I want to get those two together, I have to know how Ash truly feels… _she thought to herself.

She held the look of absolute determination.

_I know I can do this!_

"Hey Ash, how are feeling?" she asked.

Ash looked up to see May's smiling face.

"Pretty good, except my face is still red." He sat up laughing.

"Yeah you're right about that." She giggled. "So Ash, do you know what's up with Misty today, why does she seem so angry? Come to think of it, she always seems angry when it comes to her sisters, do they not get along very well?"

Ash sighed. "Well, not really, and I think I made a mistake about bringing her here, especially today of all days."

"But why, it's her birthday isn't it? Who doesn't want to spend birthdays at home?"

"Misty apparently. She hasn't been at home for a birthday since she was eleven," he replied sadly.

_Damn, should I have said that? _Worry began to spread on his face.

"What? Are you serious? Do you know why?"

Ash knew he had to make his choice carefully—he didn't want to reveal too much.

"Well, I don't know really, I guess since her sisters are hardly here anyway, so there's no point in being at home all alone you know?" he said quickly, eager to change the subject.

_Perfect! I'm such a genus! _ He thought to himself with a proud smile on his face.

May didn't fully accept that theory, but pushed forward. "Wow, no wonder there was so much tension between them…I wish there was something we could do…"

"I brought Misty back here so maybe they can all reconcile but I guess that's not going to happen this year." Ash sighed again. "Man, I only wanted Misty to be happy."

_Yes! Exactly what I wanted to hear! _She smiled.

Nothing could stop May now, "So I guess you and Misty are really good friends then?"

"Of course!" Ash stood up now. "Why would you think differently? We may have our fights but, in the end, we really are there for each other. Nothing could make me happier than to see her smile."

_Damn, let out too much there._

"But we really are good friends—best friends!" He added this in attempts to correct his mistake, but it was too late according to May.

May continue to smile. _I got him! 'Best friends' yeah right, he completely likes her! And she likes him back! Now…to get them together…_

May felt like jumping up and down.

But before she could, Dawn came running in, "Hey guys if you want to watch Misty battle you better hurry up! I think this is going to be good!"

* * *

><p>So far it did turn out to be a good match. Misty had won a match, and so did the challenger. Whoever won the next match would win the battle.<p>

_Man, this one is tough! In fact he kind of reminds me of someone I know…_ She thought as she looked up in the stands, and through the smiling faces of her friends, she saw the one dearest to her screaming out her name.

"You can do it Misty! You got this in the bag, I know it!"

"Ash," she laughed, "quit yelling already—you're the loudest one!"

Flushed with embarrassment, Ash became quiet. He couldn't help it though it had been so long since he'd seen Misty in a match he got excited.

"Wow this really is a good match," Tracy remarked, making drawings of the whole battle, "I wonder what the kid is going to choose next."

After a little thinking the boy finally made his choice. "Go now, it's your turn!" He released his own version of Pikachu.

Misty couldn't help but be inwardly shocked.

_A Pikachu?_

She looked up at Ash, who she could tell by the glassy look in his eyes, was off in a deep mess of memories. During this time, it was hard to mention Pikachu's name without Ash flinching, but to make him watch an entire match with a Pikachu? She knew she had to end this quick, for Ash's sake.

"Ok kid, you asked for it! Go, Gyarados!" Misty unleashed what was arguably her strongest pokemon, but she still knew she had to be careful.

Brock, who was being the stand in referee, looked at both trainers. "Begin!"

"We'll win this won for sure, right buddy! Quick attack, go!" the boy yelled in determination. The Pikachu rushed forward, jumping on every platform in the water, inching his way towards Gyarados.

"Gyarados, dive under water!" Misty commanded.

The boy smirked, knowing what he had to do next. "Go after it Pikachu, and use thunder bolt!"

Pikachu dived under, and suddenly realized how deep the pool was, he couldn't even see Gyarados near; nevertheless he began charging up for a big shock.

"Pi…ka…" Just then Pikachu was cut off by a charging Gyarados.

Everyone was shocked, not expecting Gyarados to be that fast.

Misty laughed, "I knew you would try that old trick! My Gyarados may not be that fast above water, but once it gets under watch out because it's just as fast as a Golduck!" Misty laughed again, while the boy just looked on in shock.

"Pikachu, get out of there!" the trainer commanded.

Meanwhile the poor Pikachu was getting pounded by Gyarados's tackle attacks. Just when Pikachu tried to recover from one attack, another would spring up behind it, making it impossible for Pikachu to retaliate.

"Wow, I never would have expected this," Tracy exclaimed, getting more excited by the second, "I thought Misty would use one of Gyarados's stronger attacks, like Hyper Beam, but instead relying on its speed."

"Misty is pretty incredible, don't you think so Ash?" May asked but was met with a confused look on Ash's face. Part was excitement, then amazement, and maybe just a tad of resentment, but either way it took a while for Ash to respond.

"Yeah, she is."

Then out of nowhere, everyone gasped as Pikachu was being thrust out of the water, finally being released from a round of brutal attacks.

"Pikachu, now try a thunder bolt!" the boy yelled again, desperate to get the upper hand.

This time the attack connected, or so it was thought. "What?" the boy was in shock once again, and so was everyone else, to see Gyarados glowing a light blue.

"So, how do you like my protect attack? Gyarados use flamethrower!" Misty yelled out her counterattack, but it almost seemed like Gyarados unleashed his attack about a second before she yelled it out.

Pikachu yelled out in pain as it was crumpled by a strong flamethrower attack. "Come on Pikachu, you got to get up, don't give up!" the boy willed the pokemon on, but could tell it was a losing battle—Gyarados was just too fast and strong.

Misty hoped that she ended the match as quick as possible as she stole another glance at Ash. He was hanging in there, but she noticed that his hands were clinching so tight to his knees that his knuckles were turning white. Misty held her breath as she looked once again at the struggling Pikachu, trying so hard to get up.

Pikachu finally stood up, only to fall back down just as quickly. The boy stood in shock as Brock yelled out the words of Misty's victory: "Pikachu is unable to battle, Gyarados wins! The winner of this match is Misty!"

May and Dawn began to jump and cheer and head down to congratulate Misty on her victory, with Tracy and Ash following behind. Ash noticed the trainer pick up Pikachu and hold him, just like Ash would do to his when they lost a match. "Hey buddy it's ok, you did a great job," he smiled. The Pikachu just returned the smile to his master.

"I guess we need a bit more training, but I still don't see how we could have lost, we had such a good advantage," the boy sighed.

"Hey you guys were pretty good, you almost had me," Misty smiled, "But it's like you said, a little more training should do the trick."

"It's not just the pokemon, the trainer should do more training as well," Ash, who had been quiet for the last few minutes, finally spoke. "You thought you had the match won just because of a simple type advantage, but you got to think more than that. Misty is a water pokemon trainer, she knows that water is weak against electric and she knows just how to make up for it. It's not just the types you should worry about, it's the skill of the trainer and their pokemon, and it's learning to expect the unexpected and knowing how to prepare for when things go wrong."

Ash spoke a little less enthusiastic than normal, almost creepy to listen to, but the young trainer seemed to understand.

"Thank you that really helped. I promise to train myself a whole lot harder as well." The boy smiled. "Thanks for the battle, Misty, oh and happy birthday."

Misty was about to ask how did he know today was her birthday but stopped herself.

"Thanks. Good luck in your training."

The boy smiled again and left, determined to become the best that he could be.

Misty walked up to Ash and placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Hey, you ok?"

Ash turned to see the concerned look in Misty's eyes.

He smiled, "I'm fine. That was a great match."

Misty blushed at his complement. "Thanks, I never knew you had gotten that far in your studies, sounds like Brock has been a good influence on you."

Ash smiled triumphantly while Brock couldn't help but be a little taken aback.

"Hey, why do you sound so surprised? I'm not that bad am I?" Brock asked annoyance etched in his voice.

Misty just laughed, which made Brock even more irritated, "Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" He was clearly getting frustrated to have Misty's laughter as her only response.

Ash smiled. _Well at least she's not mad anymore, and I get to hear her laugh, that beautiful sound that makes me shiver…_

Unfortunately Misty stopped laughing once she heard that familiar voice, "Huh, you call that a battle? I could have done _so_ much better!"

_Shit…here we go…_ Ash winced as he saw Misty turn around to face Violet.

"You think you're so tough, Violet why don't you prove it!" Misty couldn't help herself anymore. She was going to get mad and didn't care who saw.

"Like, what are you two arguing about now?" Daisy questioned, while Lily came out behind her.

"Hi Ash! Hey if you're not busy later tonight we should totally get together and like—"

Lily's plans were once again interrupted by Misty: "He's busy with me so just back off!"

Misty clinched her fists, and Ash knew there was no stopping her now.

"Hey this is between me and you, you so called innocent little brat!" Violet intercepted again, "I'm sick and tired of you always acting like the victim! You're nothing but a two-timing lying murderer!"

Everyone gasped at the final words that Violet spoke but she continued, "You deserve everything you're going to get coming to you!"

Even Ash was taken aback now, he had never seen Violet this angry, yet he was getting annoyed by the reason _why _she was angry. Violet took out of her purse a big packet of papers she'd been holding.

"This is the deed to the gym. You think you can rightfully take what's mine? Fine then, I challenge you for it! You win, you get everything—gym and all. I win…the gym is mine and you must promise to never come back here." Violet eyes held a vicious, red glow about them, even though her eyes aren't red to begin with. These words had left Misty speechless, she didn't know whether she scream some more or start crying.

"You can't do that Misty's the rightful gym leader!" May yelled. "Even if you were to win, you still can't take the gym away from her!"

"Like I give a damn! All I have to do is prove that she is unfit to be a gym leader—how can she be one when she's not even here!" Violet said, and gave Misty a malicious smile.

"You got some damn nerve," Ash spoke now, clearly livid, "You know you can't get the gym anyway because it written in the will that the gym belongs to her!"

It was the sisters' turn to be surprised now, "Misty how much did you tell them?" Daisy cautiously asked.

"She only told me, and she told me everything, because she confides in me unlike her own dumbass, selfish, sell out flesh and blood!" Ash didn't know if he should be even letting them know that he knew everything, but he couldn't hold back his tongue any longer. He knew that if it came to this he would speak his mind; he warned Misty he would a few days ago.

"Ash…enough…" Misty's voice rang throughout the gym. She was neither angry nor sad, but she had an unknown feeling, a feeling that had reminded her of the day her parents died.

"Violet, if this is what you really want, then fine," she had held her head down until this moment, "I accept your challenge."

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><p>And so that was part 1! I just thought of a really random pairing: Lily and Ash! I wonder what type of shipping is that? Oh well that would never work anyway. Let me know what you think please!<p>

Until next time...


	11. Chapter 11: Misty Part 2

Hurray part 2 is here! Be sure to let me know what you think of it and remember flashbacks are in **bold** and thoughts are in_ italics_, but I'm sure you all knew that by now.

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, just a few original characters throughout the story.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Misty—Part 2<strong>

14 years ago…

**A young Misty was running down the steps. A lot of feelings were running through her anxious mind, but the one that prevailed was excitement. Today, being her fourth birthday, was going to be the best day ever for her—at least until next year. **

**She hopped down the final step and ran into the kitchen, but when she found her sisters, she had gotten an unpleasant welcome.**

"**What do you want?" Lily spat out. **

**Misty had noticed that her three sisters were here, but not the ones closest to her.**

"**Where are mom and dad? Are they back yet?" Misty asked innocently.**

"**No. They are never coming back, thanks to you." Violet looked at Misty as she spoke these words, and that's when she felt it—the unknown feeling. Misty had looked from Violet, to Daisy, to Lily, of course not understanding.**

"**They're dead, Misty," Daisy spoke up, the only one showing a small amount of concern for her, "They can't ever come back. They're gone forever." She had begun to cry now, placing her head on the table, buried by her arms.**

"**Would you get out of here already? You little pest, look at what you've done to Daisy!" Violet yelled.**

**This had caused Misty to jump and she ran out of the room, but not in time to miss Violet's last comment: "This is all her fault! She's nothing but a murderer!"**

**Misty was shocked by this. Weren't murderers supposed to be bad guys? So…is she a bad person? She made it to the main hallway, and noticed the picture of her parents hanging above her. It was then that she had realized what the unknown feeling was, one that would never leave her side: grief.**

However, as Misty looked sorrowfully across the battle field, she held a new feeling altogether for Violet: disappointment.

Brock, still being the stand in referee, slowly walked to his place and looked unsurely at the two sisters. "Alright, what are the stipulations?" he asked.

"How about the best two out of three? What do you say, Misty?" Violet gave another mischievous smile.

"Fine." Misty's eyes held a glassy look.

She was completely out of it; her mind was in substantial turmoil.

_What should I do? If I win, I gain the gym but I lose my sisters. If I lose, I lose the gym and my sisters! What's the best option? Is there even a point in shooting for a victory?_

Misty entered this match because she felt it could be the only way to earn respect from her sisters, but now being face to face with it, would winning really shut Violet up?

"I still don't get the whole point of this match," May looked helplessly at Misty, "Ash, you know more than any of us, so what are they fighting for?"

"Weren't you listening, Violet wants the gym." Ash was also too busy looking at Misty to be involved in a normal conversation.

"We know that, but we want to know why! What's the point of it?" Dawn spoke up now.

"Look, it's kind of a long story, and it would take a while to explain, but I will tell you all after the match," Ash reassured them.

"I've never seen any of them like this before," Tracy showed his concern and maybe a hint of fear in his voice, "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

"Yeah, I do too," Ash commented.

"Alright, this is a 3-on-3 match with no time limit," Brock took one last look at Misty and Violet, "Begin!"

"Prepare yourself Misty!" Violet yelled out her determination. "Go!" She had released her first pokemon, which turned out to be a Seaking.

Misty held an emotionless expression as she held up her pokeball. "I'm sorry I can't get into this today, but please do your best." She released Corsola.

"Alright, Seaking versus Corsola, Misty should win this one hands down." Dawn smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure…." Tracy said taking another look at Misty. "I don't think Misty's into it."

"Seaking go for it! Take it out with your horn!" Seaking charged forth with awesome speed, Corsola barely had time to dodge.

"Corsola, Spike Cannon." Corsola obeyed, despite noticing her master's strange behavior.

"Not going to work on me, use Agility!" Seaking had dodged the spikes and began to zig zag back and forth across the water. Violet smiled; Seaking was without a doubt her fastest pokemon.

_Damn, what can I do about Seaking's speed? Maybe…_

"Corsola use Double Team!" Corsola had glowed to a faint white before creating about a dozen copies of itself and surrounding Seaking in the process.

"Use Blizzard attack!" Misty yelled out.

Seaking was hit from all directions by snow, and its body was beginning to freeze over.

"No! Seaking get out of there! Use Supersonic!" Violet commanded. Just before Seaking could be frozen he used his tail to escape and launched a powerful shrilling sound.

Everyone covered their ears.

"It's so loud!" May yelled.

"The louder it is the stronger!" Tracy yelled back.

Corsola was confused, and this gave Seaking his chance.

"Seaking use Fury Attack!" Violet watched in happiness as Corsola was getting pounded by horn after horn, unable to recover.

"Corsola!" Misty yelled in agony. She felt that every horn attack was meant for her.

"Finish it! Use Horn Drill!" Violet said smiling.

Corsola fell to the ground in pain, almost unable to get up.

"You can do it Corsola! Recover!" Misty commanded. Corsola had glowed white again, only to be on her feet once again. Misty breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not over yet, use Agility, get toward Corsola and take her out!" Violet was not going to give up so easily, and neither was Seaking, as it charged once again.

"Corsola, try you're Bubble beam," Misty said in desperation. She was getting tired already. Corsola tried hitting Seaking with all its might, but she just wasn't fast enough. Then Seaking was right in front of Corsola.

"Use Water Pulse!" Violet commanded.

"Mirror Coat, Corsola!" Misty yelled out her counterattack.

Both pokemon had managed to do their attacks, but being so up close, neither was sure how it would turn out. There was big explosion, and when the dust had cleared Violet cried in despair.

"Seaking is unable to battle, Corsola wins!" Brock yelled.

Misty fell to her knees, she couldn't believe she had two more matches to go, she didn't know how much more she could take.

"You did a great job, Corsola. Thank you."

Corsola smiled as she went back to her pokeball.

Everyone relaxed again.

"Wow, I didn't know Seakings could be that strong," Dawn commented.

"Yeah, their horns are what you have to really watch out for," Tracy said. Ash nodded in agreement, knowing that for a fact all too well.

Violet gritted her teeth. "Don't get all happy just because you won one match," she responded, "I have a surprise for you." She gave Misty a smile that made her shiver to her core.

Violet released her next pokemon, and even Daisy and Lily were shocked at what it was.

"It's Slowbro!" Everyone yelled in surprise.

Since everyone was too shocked to make a comment, Misty was the first to break the ice. "H-how do you—w-when did you—get a freaking Slowbro?"

Violet smiled triumphantly. "I caught a slowpoke a few months ago, and trained it really well, and since we only had one Shellder, I figured it was the perfect opportunity!"

Everyone was still shocked, never expecting Violet to actually go out a catch pokemon—that was usually Daisy's job.

"Well, come on what are you waiting for? Choose your pokemon!" Violet yelled in excitement.

"Oh, right." Misty held up a pokeball.

_Damn, I have a feeling she only caught that pokemon so she could use it against me, which means she's been planning this! Fine, then two can play at that game. _Without further hesitation, Misty released her pokemon.

"Oh wow, how cool is that!" May held out her pokedex. "Wow, so that's a Chinchou huh?"

"It's so cute! When did she catch it Ash?" Dawn asked.

Ash smiled and thought a bit. "Umm, oh yeah, we had went to Johto about a year ago. That's when she caught it."

"What were you two doing in Johto? Weren't you supposed to be training?" May narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey I was training! Just with Misty that's all, and we went to Johto because she had wanted to do some special water training there—there was a training camp and everything! But Daisy was unsure about Misty going alone so I decided to travel with her, good thing too, as it turns out Goldenrod City is a sketchy place."

"Really? You would never think that because of all the advertisements to go see the place," Dawn said.

"Guys, the battle is starting!" Tracy interfered, and everyone became once again fixated on the match.

Slowbro had started off with a water gun, but Chinchou had simply dodged and dove underwater.

"Chinchou go for it! Use your Confuse Ray!" Misty yelled. However, Violet was one step ahead, another unusual surprise.

"I thought you would try that! Evade it and strike back with Focus Punch!" Slowbro had disappeared so quickly that Misty hardly had any time to react. The next thing she knew, Slowbro was behind Chinchou, and it was too late. Chinchou screamed in pain as it was being punched up out of the water.

"Chinchou!"

"Follow it with Headbutt!" Now Slowbro had appeared above Chinchou as it was still going up in the air and suddenly forced it back into the water with a powerful crash.

"Whoa, Slowbro is fast, ironic to its name huh?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Amazing! There's no way a Slowbro could be that fast after just a few months, no matter how hard you train it," Tracy answered in response.

"So that means," Ash added, "That this had been planned for a long time." Ash gritted his teeth. _Damn, that Slowbro is way too fast for Chinchou!_

"Chinchou, try your Thunderbolt!" To Misty's never ending despair the attack failed, due to Slowbro's amazing speed.

Violet laughed. "It's time we end this, Slowbro use Disable!" Slowbro had finally stopped Chinchou's wild thunderbolt attacks and had it suspended in air.

_NO, Slowbro's disable! Chinchou!_ Misty was at a loss, she no longer knew what to do.

"Slowbro, hyper beam!" Chinchou was finally hit with a strong beam of light that made it crash to the ground.

"Chinchou!" Misty's cries were in vain.

"Chinchou is unable to battle, Slowbro wins." Brock sounded just as depressed as Misty was.

"What's the matter, little sister, can't take the pressure? If you want to give up I understand, but if you don't, I want to let you know that for the last match I intend on sticking with Slowbro." Violet smiled victoriously, knowing that the battle was already won—especially when seeing the look on Misty's face.

_What should I do? Was the match a mistake? What pokemon can comeback from Slowbro's speed? Slowbro didn't even take any damage from the last battle, and I can't use Gyarados—it's still tired from the last battle. What choice do I have?_ Misty had hated to admit defeat more than anyone, but maybe she had nothing left. The first battle had drained her, and now she was in near tears from this match. What else was there left to do? Misty swallowed hard. She didn't want to do this…

She was ready to hand in the towel, "I—", when a familiar voice erupted throughout the gym.

"Don't you dare give up Misty!"

She looked up at the stands to see Ash standing. _But how did he…?_

"You can't give up Misty, not for her, don't give her the satisfaction!" Ash yelled.

Misty couldn't stop her tears now. "But what can I do?"

"Do you know who you are? You're Misty, the best freaking gym leader Cerulean has to offer—you can't bow down to the likes of her!"

"Ash stay out of this!" Violet said in disgust, "This is a family matter that has nothing to do with you!"

Ash rolled his eyes and continued: "You're stronger than this I know it! You can beat Violet and her Slowbro, but you have to stay focused, don't give in to her bullying—she's just jealous cause she's got nothing on you! Believe in yourself, and don't you dare quit on me!"

May stood up too. "You can do it, Misty! We're cheering for you!"

Dawn followed it up, "You're still the gym leader, Misty, and now's your chance to prove why! Go for it!"

Tracy added, "If anyone can beat Violet it's you, Misty!"

And Brock only had this thing to say: "Misty…kick her ass!"

Misty laughed and wiped her tears away. _My friends…thank you._

"Violet, I AM the gym leader! YOU are the challenger, therefore I have no right to give up! You want a fight—well you got it!" Misty kissed her last pokeball. "You're my one last hope, do your best. Go Politoed!" Politoed came out doing its little dance, and suddenly Misty became happier. _Politoed…I have faith in you!_

"Wow, a Politoed? Can Misty win with it?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, it seems pretty even, they're both water types and Politoed can use psychic type attacks as well as Slowbro," Tracy observed.

"Of course Misty can win this!" Ash being as enthusiastic as ever, "Slowbro might be experienced, but Misty has had Politoed a hell of a lot longer!"

"This battle will be over in one shot, Slowbro psychic!" Slowbro's colorful beam of light headed quickly toward Politoed.

"Politoed dodge it!" Politoed jumped in the water in the nick of time.

"You can't get away that easily, use water pulse!" Violet yelled. Slowbro slammed his hands against the water and created huge waves the crashed up against each other. Violet smiled, but only for a minute.

"What the hell?" She yelled again in shock.

"No way, Politoed is riding the waves!" May laughed. Politoed was on top of the waves, having a good time, the only thing missing was a surfboard.

Misty laughed. "Politoed must've used surf somehow—I never even taught it that!" She laughed even harder when all the waves crashed down on Slowbro and Violet.

"Ha ha ha, you should like see your hair, Violet, you look like a wet dog!" Lily laughed now along with Daisy.

"Shut up!" Violet growled in frustration, "Slowbro headbutt!" But before Slowbro could react, Misty had a secret trick up her sleeve.

"Politoed quick, double team!" One Politoed quickly became a dozen, and they all circled around Slowbro making it confused.

Violet looked in horror—how was she going to get out of this?

"Slowbro take them down with your Water Gun!" Violet yelled in desperation. Slowbro had used water gun on what seemed like ten Politoeds before it finally hit the real one, of course doing no damage.

"Politoed, ice beam!" Misty commanded, slowly gaining back her momentum. However every time Politoed had gotten close to doing the attack, Slowbro would retreat.

"That's it, Slowbro keep it up!" Violet smiled once again.

"Damn that speed, Politoed's never going to catch up." May had said in distress.

"Maybe that's how Misty wants it," Tracy suggested. Seeing the confused looks upon the others faces he continued, "Well, Slowbro has to get tired eventually."

Sure enough, Slowbro's agility was getting slower.

Violet noticed this and decided to end it quickly: "Slowbro, focus punch!" Slowbro charged forward, just what Misty was waiting for.

"Politoed, use Mega Punch!" To everyone's surprise, Politoed disappeared, and reappeared behind Slowbro. The attack hit at full power, and Slowbro was pushed back.

"Slowbro! Disable!"

"Hyper Beam now!" The hyper beam had struck a lot quicker than Slowbro could use its Disable, and it was knocked up against the wall.

"Slowbro!" Violet cried out.

The attack was slowly draining Slowbro of all its energy, plus the toll it had taken moving around so fast. Slowbro had slowly gotten to its feet.

"That's the way Slowbro!" Violet encouraged.

Misty was in shock. She was sure her strategy would work.

Violet smiled victoriously again, "Try your headbutt!"

Slowbro nodded and placed one foot forward, but then fell forward, unable to get up.

"What? NO!" Violet's smile had disappeared once again. Turns out the hyper beam attack had taken out the rest of Slowbro's energy—it was a whole lot stronger than first thought.

"Slowbro is unable to battle, therefore the winner of this match is Politoed and Misty!" Brock smiled for his friend's victory.

Misty sighed. It was finally over. Politoed came over to her, tired but still dancing.

Misty smiled, "You were great, Politoed, all that training had paid off huh?" She gave it a hug. "You deserve a good rest." After putting Politoed back in its ball, the exhausted Misty just sat down.

_Well, that took more out of me than I would've liked. What about Violet…?_ She looked across the field to see Violet on her knees, completely angry out of her mind. Her sisters didn't help much when it came to consoling.

"Aww, come on Violet you didn't like, actually expect to win did you?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, you're a good trainer, Violet, but Misty's like, a hell of a lot better. She's been training for years, and you've been training for what, like, months?" Daisy started to laugh a little. "There's no way you could have beaten her!"

Violet held Slowbro in her arms, getting angrier by the second.

"It's not fair, the gym was promised to me, to me before _she_ was born! I was meant to have it, and then she came and took everything from me! Who the hell does she think she is…" Violet stood up now and looked at Misty. "…huh, who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing, nothing but a cold blooded murderer! My parents died in a car crash, and you never cried even once, and you know why?"

Violet's voice gotten louder now, "Because you were happy to see them dead! You ugly, deceiving girl, you never cared once about them, how could you have what you don't deserve? You don't deserve this, you don't deserve shit! You think I'm jealous—me jealous of you? You don't have anything for me to be jealous of!"

Violet's eyes were in tears, and she could no longer hold back what she had wanted to say for years: "I hate you! I wish it was you that had died instead of them!" Violet fell once again to her knees and began to cry even harder.

"Violet how could you say that? Apologize!" Daisy screamed at her.

"No…" Misty stood up now, her head hanging down, "She said what she wanted to say right? This is how she truly feels about me, right? I hate to admit it, but she's right. What right do I have, coming in and taking what had originally belonged to her? I was just an innocent, young girl, how would I know how to run a gym? I had never asked to be born, I never wanted…any of this…"

Misty began to shake now. "Maybe, this is for the best."

Misty looked up at Violet. "Violet, if this is what you want, who am I to stop you? I never wanted the gym, at least not like this. It's yours, Violet, you take the gym. Let's just say that you won this match and you get everything you want. Congratulations." With that, Misty turned around and left the arena.

"Misty!" Her friends ran after her. Ash was about to walk out, but turned around.

"I hope you're happy, Violet. You just took away the only thing Misty has left of her parents. She doesn't remember anything about them, not like you all do. She may have wanted to travel more at first, but she had really grown to love this gym, and all of you guys. Me and my stupid ass, trying to make things right, I thought you would all act like adults about this, but I guess I was wrong." Ash ran after Misty.

They found Misty looking pale and in despair with two bags in her hands, looking at a picture on the wall.

"Misty?" Dawn inched closer toward her.

Misty snapped out of her reverie and looked to see her friends beside her. She smiled, "I'm sorry to put you all through this, but I hope you can forgive me."

Dawn ignored this, but instead she thought it was best to get her family back together. "Are you sure you want to do this Misty? Can't you think about it a bit more?"

"That's right, we all know you had won that match, Misty," Brock said, "You have the gym in more ways than one."

Misty sighed and looked back at the picture, "I'd rather have the gym passed down to me, like a precious family heirloom, than to be won like in a stupid gambling contest. There was never any purpose for me here except the gym. Now that it's gone, what's the point?"

"But it's not gone, it's yours! It would always be yours! Why give that up?" May asked.

"Think about it May, is keeping the gym really worth this much? If I keep the gym now, I'd just be miserable, and I can't deny the challengers that come here the quality of a good match. I don't want the gym if I have to live with this regret for the rest of my life."

She looked at the picture again. It was the same picture of her parents she saw the moment they died that day. They always seemed to glow from that very moment.

"But Violet is wrong about one thing. I have cried for my parents before, I just never let them see it. Think of how badly they would tease me then?" Tears began to fall down her face, but she felt a strong pair of arms hold her from behind.

"I'm sorry, Misty. But I think that shouldn't hide your tears. In the end, showing them only makes you a stronger person, and if your sisters don't respect that then they don't deserve a person like you," Ash whispered in her ear.

Misty closed her eyes. "Ash… thank you. You don't know how long I've been waiting for someone to say that to me." She turned around and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Misty!" A voice yelled from behind the group.

Everyone turned to see Lily and Daisy. Ash only brought Misty closer to him, hiding her face. "What do you want? Haven't you done enough?" He said to them.

"We just wanted to say…how sorry we are for everything," Daisy started.

"That's right, we never meant for this to like, happen. We always knew what Violet felt but we never thought she would say it like that," Lily added.

"Please," Daisy begged, "Forgive us Misty. This isn't how we all feel. We love you, and don't want you to leave."

"Yeah, like don't leave us please?" Lily pleaded.

Ash could hear Misty's heavy sigh and she looked up at them. "Guys…" She stepped forward. "I—I can't forgive you."

"But why not?" Lily asked, obviously shocked along with Daisy.

"Guys, don't you see what we're going through? Every year, it's always the same, you tease me and call me names; you apologize and the next year we go through the same thing. I…I can't do that…anymore, I just can't! I'm sorry, but I can't forgive you until you are absolutely sure that you're sorry, and until I can forgive myself."

"But Misty, we—" Daisy began again but Misty cut her off.

"No, no, I can't ok? I can't because…I've become tired…of everything. I'm—I'm sorry…I just need to be alone now, ok?" Misty ran off, finally giving in to the stresses of the day.

Everyone was silent as they watched her run off. Ash and the others slowly began to walk out, when Daisy caught Ash on the arm.

"Please, Ash…Misty trusts you a lot more than she trusts us. If you tell her how sorry we are, maybe she'll listen to you and come back." Daisy's eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Please I can't lose her!"

Ash sighed. "Well, I doubt what I say would help, I mean, I don't think she's going to forgive you so easily this time. But…I'll see what I can do ok?"

Daisy smiled and let Ash go. "Thank you, Ash. Thank you," she said softly.

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><p>I never did like Misty's Politoed but I thought it would be fun to include it. Anyways I hope you guys like it!<p>

Until next time...


	12. Chapter 12: Surprise!

Another random chapter! I must warn you that parts of it are a bit depressing, but I think the ending is sweet enough to cancel it out. Another thing to mention is my battling style. It's a bit unorthodox I think but I wont say anything now because I don't want to give anything away. Hope you all like it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Surprise!<strong>

It was getting late into the evening and still no signs of Misty. She had brought nearly all of her pokemon into the center, which was a sign that she hadn't left town, but while waiting for hours at the pokemon center for her to return, the others became anxious.

"I don't like this, it's nearly 10:30pm," Brock showed his concern, "It's not like her to be gone this long."

Ash sighed. He knew there was only one place she could be at this time of night.

"Nurse Joy, can I go look for her?" He asked.

The nurse cast a far away glance. "Ash, you know usually I don't let children go out this late, you know how bad it gets around here." After seeing Ash's face however, she changed her tune, "But Misty's like a daughter to me, so please hurry and find her ok?"

Ash smiled. "Don't worry I will." Everyone began to follow Ash out the door, but Joy stopped them.

"Wait, you all shouldn't go, if you get separated who knows what could happen. Just let Ash, Brock, and Tracy go," she suggested.

The girls began to protest. "But Joy—"

"No buts, I'm telling you, it's more dangerous for women here than it is for men, and I don't want you two getting hurt," Joy smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, the guys will find Misty, right?"

Tracy nodded. "Don't worry we'll be back soon."

After about five minutes of going down the street Tracy broke the silence. "Hey, Ash, do you have any idea where she could be?"

He sighed. "I do actually. Misty has the tendency to drink when she's depressed, I think I know the bar where she went to."

"Are you serious?" Brock asked, "She drinks? Misty?"

"Hey don't be too surprised there are a lot of things that only I know about Misty." Ash couldn't help but be a little proud of this fact.

"Really? Like what?" Brock asked again.

"Uh, well…" Ash began to get uncomfortable.

"Hey so wait," Tracy interrupted, "Does that mean that Misty knows some things about you that no one else knows?"

Brock was really shocked now, "Aw, come on Ash, you tell Misty all your secrets but not me? I've been traveling with you for years, and I thought I knew everything about you! Come on tell me what I don't know."

Now Ash was really uncomfortable, "Hey, uh, we better hurry and find Misty, huh? Joy's right, things really do get bad around here at night, especially for women." He broke off into a run.

"Hey, come back, I want to know!" Brock began the chase.

"Don't forget about me!" Tracy followed.

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><p>Meanwhile, Misty was sitting in a crowded bar, once again drinking her troubles away. She hated it when she got like this but found out that letting loose seems to take the edge off things.<p>

"Hey! Give me another shot of…whatever this is!" She yelled at the bartender.

The bartender, like everyone else, knew Misty and hated to see her like this. "Hey, Misty, maybe you had enough…"

"No way!" She yelled even louder over the noise of the music around her, "Just one more round… please?" Her eyes began to fill with tears. This was the first part of Misty's drunkenness; surprisingly she always gets very emotional.

The bartender couldn't help but give in. "Alright, alright, one more and then you go home ok?"

"Don't tell me what to do!" She began to sway as she took the drink. "I'm eighteen now, damn it, I can do what I want!" Misty sipped on it gingerly.

"Ha! One more and then go home—yeah right! Not like I have anywhere else to go, no one loves me…" She slumped down on the counter. "Man, I just want to be loved, what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing, it's all in the manner of who loves you."

Misty turned around to see a man dressed in black sitting beside her. "You're not a creeper are you? What's with all the black? Who are you anyway I know you're not from around here."

Misty had casted a thousand daggers with her eyes at the one who got into her personal conversation. "Well? Who are you?"

"Just a roaming traveler my friend," the stranger replied, "You seem too young to be in such dire straits. Mind talking about it?"

"I only tell my problems to one man and you're not him!" Misty yelled back a little too loudly.

The man smirked. "Oh, I see. Forgive me, in reality I am looking for someone. Maybe you can help me out."

Misty rolled her eyes as she saw the guy reach in his pockets, but then noticed something oddly familiar.

_A purple R on his sleeve? It couldn't be…Team Rocket? Aw, damn, they're after Ash._

Sure enough the guy ended up showing Misty a picture of Ash after winning his latest tournament.

"Do you know the boy?" he asked.

Misty rolled her eyes again. She was too drunk to be scared. "No, I've never seen him before. What are you, some kind of detective, rocket man?" She was glaring at him now.

The man chuckled softly. "No, I'm not I'm just looking for this boy. He goes by the name Ash Ketchum. Are you sure you haven't seen him?"

Now Misty was getting irritated. "NO! I've never seen him in my life ok? Now will you just go away and leave me in peace?"

"How very interesting…" The guy inched closer to her, "Because I've asked around and rumor has it that this man is your boyfriend, isn't that right, Misty?"

She flinched. _Damn. This guy reeks, _she thought.

"So then," he continued, "I'd like for you to show me where he is." He held a sadistic smile that started to scare Misty, but she wasn't backing down.

"I told you, I don't know him! Now unless you have anything interesting to say…" Her eyes became wide. She was cut off by the feel of a gun pressed up against her stomach.

"Now, now," he whispered in her ear, "I wouldn't want your pretty little guts to spread out all over this floor, do you? Now I suggest you tell me now where Ash Ketchum is."

Misty was frightened, but determined to protect Ash. "I'll tell you what, rocket man I'll tell you exactly where he is."

The guy had smirked, but then it faded when Misty continued, "But first, you have to beat me in a match."

Now it was the rocket's turn to be surprised. "What?"

"That's right, beat me in a pokemon match and I'll show you exactly where Ash is." Misty smiled.

"A pokemon match huh?" He scratched his beard. "Alright little lady, a match it is, but what do you get if you win?"

"If I win?" she answered back.

Misty's anger grew—she expected the guy to know! It's obvious! "If I win you get the hell out of my face, that's what!"

The rocket just laughed as he was being led out the door by a drunken, angry, emotional Misty.

* * *

><p>"Ash, this is the second bar we went to, maybe she's not at one," Brock pointed out. It was 11pm and the city was getting restless.<p>

"Maybe she's back at the center, Ash, we should go back and see," Tracy suggested.

Ash, of course, was still determined as ever. "No, no, I'm sure she's at one. Look there's one more bar left in town ok? Let's go to that, and if she's not there we go back to the center." Both agreed and the followed Ash around the corner. About five minutes down the street Brock noticed a large crowd.

"Man, who knew things were like this around nighttime," he said. He spoke a guy next to him amidst the people. "What's going on here?"

"Oh man you're just in time!" He was happy and drunk and patted Brock on his shoulder a little too roughly. "Misty is just bout to beat some jerk who came on to her."

"What!" Ash exclaimed. "Someone flirted with her?"

"No, no, man, look I don't really know what happened but they're about to fight, look!"

The boys looked in the direction the man was pointing. Through the crowd Ash managed to make out Misty.

"It's a pokemon battle!" They exclaimed in shock.

"You're lucky I'm not sober!" Misty yelled, "I might've gone easy on you!"

"Trust me little lady, I'm coming hard and fast! Go Plusle!" Plusle came out already cheering for his master's victory.

Misty laughed. "A Plusle? That seems a little too cute for someone with your tough exterior."

"Just choose your pokemon and let me worry about mine," the rocket answered back.

"Fine, go Starmie!" Starmie came out also ready to go. "Since this isn't an official match let's just go freestyle; is one on one good for you?" she asked.

"It's fine by me. I'll even let you get the first move." The man smiled victoriously, which made Misty angry. She was tired of seeing people who thought they could beat her.

"If that's the way you want it—Starmie tackle attack!" Misty commanded.

Starmie charged forth, being a lot faster than usual.

_Her Starmie's fast, but not fast enough_, the rocket thought to himself.

"Plusle, thunder wave!" he yelled.

Plusle's little cheeks shined brightly before it let out a strong attack heading fast toward Starmie.

"Jump Starmie and use water gun!" Misty yelled her counterattack.

Starmie's water gun hit with such a force that Plusle actually seemed to take some damage.

"Don't give in yet, use quick attack," he said. Plusle showed its speed heading straight for Starmie.

"Starmie, rapid spin!" Misty said.

"Now, use dynamic punch!" the rocket said his counterattack. Plusle shocked the audience when its little fist broke through Starmie's rapid spin and hit it with full force.

"Starmie!"

"Thunder!" he commanded. A powerful blast of electricity seemed to come from the sky and struck Starmie midair.

Misty watched in horror as Starmie crashed to the ground.

"So, looks like I win," the rocket smiled, "Ready to give up?"

Misty gritted her teeth. "Don't you dare think this is over! Starmie recover!" Starmie had shined with a faint light and then got up with full force. She smiled triumphantly and snapped her fingers.

"How do you like that, rocket man?"

The rocket was taken aback, he had forgotten about that ability. "Fine, we'll finish it off one more time! Use charge!" Plusle gathered up all its strength for one final attack.

"Starmie blizzard!" Misty said back. Starmie unleashed a snow storm that hit Plusle at full force, nearly pushing it back toward his master.

"Hang in there," he yelled, "Try a quick attack!" Plusle tried going forward but kept getting pushed back by the storm. Its tail began to freeze over. _Damn, I got to end this quick_, he thought.

"Plusle thunderbolt!"

Misty knew she only had one chance. "Double team and then use confuse ray!" Starmie multiplied itself just in time to miss the attack, and then countered with one of its own, and by the end Plusle was numbly confused.

"Plusle!" he said in shock.

"Swift attack!" Misty said next.

Plusle was hit from all directions, causing the attacks to hit and explode on impact. Once the smoke cleared, Plusle was left with nearly no energy left, not even to dodge.

"Rapid spin!" she said.

That attack finished it off, and everyone cheered for the victor. The rocket came up to its damaged Plusle.

"Plusle, are you alright?" he asked. Plusle smiled in his trainer's arms and gave a weak response.

"That was some smart move, woman," he smiled, "You knew you couldn't beat me in strength so you downed my speed."

Misty smiled. "Your Plusle is strong, I bet you have a Minun too right?"

The man just smiled. "Come on out Minun!" Minun came out and sensed Plusle in danger. When it saw Plusle cradled in its trainer's arms, Minun had pressed its cheek against Plusle's and charged Plusle up with its own electricity.

"You know," Misty said, "You seem a bit too sweet on your pokemon to be who you are."

The Team Rocket member just laughed. "Not all of us are hard on our pokemon, you know. I care deeply for mine just as you do for yours."

"Then why steal others pokemon? Why work for such a dangerous organization?"

He returned Plusle and Minun. "Sometimes, you're left without a choice. I was in the business since I was a kid, I couldn't get out now even if I wanted to, not that I do—this is a way of life for me." He sighed. "Look, let's just say I couldn't get anything out of you alright? I couldn't find Ash Ketchum, because after all, a win's a win."

Misty was surprised. "Really? I thought you were going to shoot me or something."

"I was, but then again, far too many witnesses. See you around Misty."

"Hey, wait! What do you want with Ash anyway? Hey!" But he had already slipped into the crowd.

Misty bent down to congratulate her Starmie, when she heard Brock's voice behind her. "Misty, are you alright?"

"We've been searching all over for you," Tracy added.

"I'm sorry to worry you all, I'm fine now." Misty said with a smile.

"Misty," Ash kneeled beside her, "What did that Rocket member want?"

Misty's look became worried. "Ash…he wanted you."

* * *

><p>The girls couldn't squeeze Misty tighter when she got back.<p>

"Misty, we're so glad you're ok!" May said.

"Yeah, we were worried about you!" Dawn added.

"I'm really sorry, I'm ok now, don't worry." Misty eased their concern with a loving smile. "I'm sorry to worry you all."

"Just next time you go out, let people know where you're going," Nurse Joy began her lecture. "And no more drinking, you know how people are at night around here—they're ten times worse when drunk!"

"I'm sorry Joy," Misty mumbled.

"Alright," Joy smiled. "You were just lucky Ash was there to save you."

"Hey!" Misty huffed as she heard Ash snigger behind her, "What's that supposed to mean? I can take care of myself!"

Joy laughed. "I know dear, but isn't it nice to know that you have your man to take care of you too?"

May and Dawn began to laugh while Misty protested: "Joy he's not—"

"Ok, I'll leave you guys, and don't stay up late!" Joy was about to leave when Brock stopped her.

"Beloved Joy, how would you like it if I help you with some work around here? Maybe afterwards we could—oww!" Brock felt the familiar tugging of his ear by Misty.

"Brock, leave her alone, she has a husband you know!"

Brock silently sulked in a corner.

"Still the same isn't he?" Tracy commented.

Ash laughed. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"Misty, we have a present for you," May said as her and Dawn pulled her along by the arm.

"Guys, I know it was short notice, but you didn't have to buy me anything…" Misty started.

"Aww come on, Misty, you deserve a treat every once in a while." Dawn smiled.

"That's right, here's a little treat for you that we found." May showed Misty a beautiful light blue tank top, laced with white flowers, and a nice pair of blue jean shorts.

"Wow, I can't believe you guys bought me an outfit!"

"Yeah, well we weren't sure of your exact size but," Dawn placed the shirt around Misty, "Looks like we did pretty good."

"Well, thank you guys, this is cute but isn't the shorts a little too short?" Misty placed them across her thighs.

"Not much different from the ones you used to wear."

Misty looked behind her to see Ash surveying. "What? Really?"

"I never knew you were paying attention to the shorts she was wearing…" Brock gave Ash a raised eyebrow look.

Ash began to blush, "Well duh, Brock how could you not—I mean, uh, well every once in a while I kind of glanced…" He changed his tone knowing Misty was going to say something, and sure enough she did.

"Ash, what were you going to say?" Her nostrils began to flare.

"Uh, hey Brock, don't you have a gift? Give it to her." Ash was more than happy to change the subject as he hid behind Brock.

"Well, I do have a gift actually," he reached in his book bag and gave it to her.

"Oh wow, a new pokeball belt! Thanks Brock, how'd you know I needed one?" Misty held it up. It was a clear one, but in the light you could see little bubbles like it was underwater.

"Well, it's been a while since you had one right? So I just figured," he answered.

"Ok, my turn!" Tracy gave Misty his gift. It was a set of crystal key chains featuring five water pokemon: Gyarados, Corsola, Squirtle, Horsea, and Golduck.

Misty was like a little kid in a candy store. "This is soooo cute! I love it! Where did you get it from?"

Tracy laughed. "Well, I sort of forgot your birthday was coming up, so I just ordered this online. When I saw it, it seemed like something you would want."

Misty narrowed her eyes but smiled. "Well, remind me to get you for forgetting by birthday, but this is so cute I might forgive you for it." She laughed.

A few seconds later everyone looked at Ash.

"What?" He replied.

"Aaaaash, you didn't forget my birthday did you?" Misty couldn't help but get excited.

"Of course not, you reminded me every day for like two months," he replied.

"Three, actually, so what did you get me?" Misty smiled.

"Well," he began to blush and nervously scratched his head, "I really looked hard for this, I hope you like it, it was the one thing I could think of that was actually pretty good—even though it was rare to begin with and I was extremely lucky to find it considering where I was…"

"Ash!" Misty stomped her foot. "You're stalling, what is it?"

"Well," Ash bent down to look in his bag, "I'm not even sure if you want it anymore, it was a long time ago…"

"Ash," Misty knelt beside him and looked in his eyes. "As long as it's from your heart, I really don't care what it is." She saw his eyes widen and began to realize exactly what she was saying. _Damn, I think I let something slipped! Quick change the subject!_

"Well, let me see it, let me see it!" She bounced in place a little.

"Misty, you're like a five year old," Dawn laughed.

"I can't help it, presents get me excited," she said.

Finally Ash pulled out a pokeball wrapped up in red ribbon. "You got me a pokemon?" Misty was more excited than anything now.

"Well, yeah, I thought you would like it, and Pikachu helped train it," He smiled a little at the memory, "Here, it's yours." Ash handed it over to Misty, who was a little afraid to see what it was.

"Aww, come on don't keep us in suspense, open it up!" May stated enthusiastically.

Misty smiled, took a deep breath, and released the pokemon. Her eyes widened. "This—this is…"

"Oh wow, how cool!" Tracy said.

"It's beautiful!" Dawn held out her pokedex: 'Vaporeon, the bubble jet pokemon, and an evolved form of Eevee. The composition of its cells is similar to molecules of water, and as such, can melt in water.'

"That's so cool, how come you never gave me a pokemon, Ash?" May asked.

"You never needed one," he answered. Ash bent down to pet Vaporeon, who had automatically went to him after stretching. "Hey, Vapor, how are you?"

"Ash, how did you manage to get Vaporeon from Team Rocket?" Brock asked.

"Well, she wasn't in my belt, she was in my backpack, so she was the only one I had left." Ash smiled. "You were lucky, Vapor, good thing I told you to get in your ball that morning." Vaporeon only protested, saying that it could've help to prevent the others from getting stolen. "No, then I would've lost you, and I don't think Misty would've been happy about that, right?" He had looked at Misty for a response but she only knelt down to touch Vaporeon.

"Ash…" she began, "she's so obedient, are you sure you want to give her to me?"

Ash just laughed. "Of course! I got her for you, from a strong Eevee trainer. He had just evolved one of his Eevee into a Vaporeon and was looking for a good seller. Pikachu convinced me to get her, and I told Vaporeon that I would give her to you if you wanted her—she would do a lot better with a strong water pokemon trainer."

Vaporeon just smiled at this. "Is this the one you like?" She whispered to Ash in her own language. Ash's face became flushed and all he could do was nod. Vaporeon, like all of his other pokemon, had long ago realized Ash's crush on Misty.

"Ash," Misty still held her head down, "is this because of that story I told you?"

Ash blushed even harder and attempted to hide it. "Um, well…"

"You remembered! I can't believe that!" Misty looked up and smiled at him.

"Well, I just thought it was long overdue…"

"What story?" Dawn interrupted.

"Oh, well before I was born, my mom was not only the gym leader, but a pokemon coordinator." Misty began.

"Really?" May asked, growing excited by this story.

Misty nodded. "She did it in her spare time, and when she did, her best pokemon would be her Vaporeon." Misty smiled at the stories she had remembered hearing. "Well, since she had done so well with a Vaporeon, it became the pokemon I wanted most of all. So I asked my sisters if I could have one but…"

"But?" Brock urged her to continue.

"They said I couldn't have one. They told me that Vaporeon 'was only for beautiful people'." She held a small air of annoyance when she said this. "I spent nearly five stupid years trying to impress them when someone finally told me I was fine just the way I was." She smiled at Ash. "Are you sure?"

"Misty, yes, she's yours ok? I trained her so I could give her to you." Ash blushed again, especially upon seeing Misty's smile.

She shook her head. "You know, Ash, I think she's mine just as much as she is yours, so how about Vaporeon belonging to both of us?"

Both Ash and Vaporeon looked surprised—they looked at each other and then at Misty. "Well, if that's really what you want, but you carry her ok?"

Misty nodded. "Welcome to the team, Vaporeon!" She reached out to hug her. "Thank you, Ash. This is the greatest gift you have ever given me." Tears nearly came to her eyes; she blinked them back as she hugged him. "You're the best, you know that right?"

Ash smiled. "You know me so well." They both laughed.

* * *

><p>The rain began to fall down harder that night. But unlike most people who fall asleep to the rain, Misty was staring out the window watching it fall.<p>

She sighed. _I should be sleepy but I'm not. I guess I'm too tired to sleep._ She heard the thunder, it felt as if it was right over her head, and watched as random people tried to gain shelter.

"Misty?"

She turned around, "Ash? What are you doing up?"

Ash just smiled. "Couldn't sleep, too many nightmares, you too?"

_How can he smile so bright after going through so much pain? He hasn't seen Pikachu in two months, isn't he thinking something bad?_ Misty shook her head. "I haven't been to sleep. I guess I'm too tired if that makes sense."

Ash laughed. "I know the feeling. Hey, want company?" He went to sit next to her on the couch.

Misty was taken aback a little. "But aren't you tired? You need your rest."

Ash only propped his legs up on the couch and yawned a little, "Nah, I don't want to sleep, and besides I can't sleep knowing you're here by yourself."

Misty smiled at him. "Ash, I'm fine really, no need to worry."

Ash laughed again, reminded of Dawn's catch phrase, "Oh I've heard that one before, nope I'm staying here until you fall asleep." And with that Ash's mind was made up, there was no way he would leave now.

Misty only sighed. She was glad that Ash was with her; she always felt something different while being with him, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was yet.

Ash was also glad to have Misty alone, especially if he was going to try to bring up a sensitive subject.

"Hey Ash, want to find something on tv?" Misty sighed happily as she flipped through the channels.

"Um, actually," Ash scratched his head nervously, "I want to talk to you."

"Really, about what?" she asked.

"Well it's just I feel bad about what's happened and all, I really think that you and your sisters should reconcile." Ash was ready for it; he knew he was going to get a really hard criticism from her. Misty instead just sighed and put the remote down.

"Ash…I can't."

"Misty, I know it's going to be hard for you to forgive them but I really think you should."

"For what Ash? They've made it perfectly clear that they want nothing to do with me and care nothing at all for me." Misty held her head down.

"But Lily and Daisy don't feel that way, they still love you, they always have! Can't you at least forgive them?" Ash defended.

Misty only shook her head.

"But Misty—"

"Ash do you have any idea what it's like?" She looked at him directly now, "Do you know what it's like to fall for the same thing every year? It's always like this you know that, not just because you brought me here. Every year they tease me, make fun of me, make me feel like I'm completely worthless, and then the next day we all apologize and wait for the next year—then we go through it all over again! I'm tired Ash, I just can't do it anymore, it's too much to bear." She swallowed hard now, trying to fight back the tears but ended up shaking.

Ash inched closer to her. "I know how Violet feels, I think we all know, but Lily and Daisy—"

"Lily and Daisy? Lily and Daisy care nothing about me! If they would, they wouldn't tease me every single year—you saw them!" Misty's voice grew a little louder, "Like hell they love me, as if, who in the world would love _me_?" Misty began to cry now, she could feel herself breaking for the first time in years. "Ash, you have no idea what's it like, at least you have a mother that loves you—me what do I have? I have nothing and no one, it's all empty inside, I'm like a shell with no core! I—I—I should just—end it all. There's nothing left, nothing left to live or die for…I should take Violet's advice and kill myself…"

Ash couldn't take anymore of this. He took Misty by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You idiot! I don't ever want to hear you talk about yourself again like that, you hear me? If you think you have no one—damn it Misty just look around you, what do you see? You see your friends, your friends are here and they love you and care for you, you're not empty and you're not alone."

Misty tried her hardest to speak through the tears, "What's the point? Without real family you have nothing. If your own family thinks that you're nothing—then maybe I am nothing, I should just fade into nothingness…"

"Misty don't you dare think that! If your family hates you, then we'll love you like family, you _are_ our family! There's no way in the world we could ever hate you—don't you know how special you are? Of course you don't, let me tell you: Misty you are the bravest, smartest, most beautiful girl I ever met. You are strong, and courageous, and you never let anyone stop you from your dreams. Your spirit is like a fire, if you add more things to it it will get stronger, but take things away and it will fade. Think of all that you have Misty: You have friends that won't leave you, pokemon that care deeply for you, and you have me, so you're never alone! We will always be there for you Misty, you got that, always! So never think you're alone because you're not, and you're not empty—you have a heart and soul just like the rest of us. You're hurting, I know you are, but if you truly had nothing left…then no one would be sitting here next to you now." Ash took a deep breath. He was shaking and crying right along with Misty. He never thought his request would end up going this far.

Misty sat there in silence the entire time, listening to Ash speak, and began to realize that maybe she wasn't alone after all. Did she truly have something to live for?

As if on cue, Ash began to speak again, "Misty, what do you want out of life?"

This shook Misty pretty hard. "I—I don't know…I thought I had wanted to be a great water pokemon trainer, then I had wanted to be a great gym leader, but now…what else is left?"

Ash looked in her eyes for the longest time, and he saw the familiar pain and sadness that he had been feeling, but he also saw the darkness that she was sinking into. He had to save her. He pulled her close to him and held her. "I think only you can figure that out, Misty, but you can't give up. There's something out there for you, I know there is, but do you have the courage to face it? Do you have the strength to stand up and fight for it? Because if you don't, just remember that we will always be there to help you, and there's no way I'm letting you fall."

Misty cried a little more, but being held in Ash's arms made her feel safer, and she had begun to decipher that feeling she couldn't quite figure out before: it was always Ash that made her feel alive. If it was anything it was always Ash's personality that made her think a little more about herself. The attitude that she once thought was foolishness, was only just selfless actions, and now because of his selflessness he was forced to suffer through such torment.

After a few minutes she spoke. "Ash, why must we go through so much? Have we done something wrong?"

Still holding her close he answered, "All we did was live, Misty. Throughout everything that's happening to us, that's all we can do."

Misty looked up at him. _When did he get so mature? When did he seem so…? _They looked into each other's eyes and soon they discovered their feelings were beginning to reflect each other. What did that mean? She couldn't help but move closer and closer to him. _This feeling, it's the same I had at Professor Oak's. Could it be that I…_

Ash's insides felt like they were melting. He could feel Misty's breath against his, and every instinct told him to go for it. But yet again there was this voice in his head that fought back saying, _this is wrong you can't do this. If you kiss her, you'd only be taking advantage of her in her pain do you really want to do that? _

He put his forehead against hers, stopping her from kissing him but made the closeness a little closer. _Damn, I'm losing it, how much longer can I last? _He felt his lips slightly press to the left side of her neck then moved up to her ear.

Misty closed her eyes. For some reason, instead of fighting this she accepted it. It was in that moment that they became suspended in time, both just enjoying the closeness, until Ash spoke. "Are you feeling better?"

Misty nodded in response, her eyes still closed.

"Good." He spoke again, "Because I don't ever want to see you like this again." He held her in a tight embrace then slowly, reluctantly, let her go.

"Misty," he spoke in barely a whisper, "you should go to bed."

Misty shook her head. "No," she retaliated, "If I could, I just want to sleep here for tonight."

Ash nodded in understanding. "Ok, then I'll be right here."

"Ash, it's ok really, I don't want you to—"

"No Misty, it's fine really. I just….want to be next to you…" Ash didn't attempt to hide his blush this time, and got to see Misty's eyes widen a little.

"Well ok, if that's what you want…" Misty began to blush as well, and hid a small smile behind her hand.

Ash went and got them both blankets and pillows, and they ended up falling asleep silently talking…still wrapped up in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>If you guys had ever heard of the song "Give Me A Sign" by Breaking Benjamin then you would probably agree that it's an awesome song. It was also my inspiration for this chapter. Anyway about my battle style it's a bit weird but I tend to use between 4 and 6 attacks sometimes for certain pokemon because it tends to fit in with my story more. Hope you guys dont hate it too much, I just find the 4 moves only system frustrating (Pikachu is my main example why).<p>

Until next time...


	13. Chapter 13:The Road That Leads to TR!

I decided to take a small little break from studying to bring you my next chapter. It's very random and I don't really care for it much, but after carefully looking over things there wasn't much I could do. I hope you guys like it at least. Enjoy!

Disclamer: I don't own Pokemon, but it would be nice to carry a pocket-sized Nurse Joy with me to heal my pokemon. Sigh, pokemon centers are such a hassle.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: The Road That Leads to Team Rocket!<strong>

The light was shining in from a window on the sleeping couple. Ash began to stir on the couch and slowly opened his eyes.

_There she is: my wonderful angel in disguise._

Misty was still in Ash's arms, and had ended up sleeping on top of him. Ash smiled. _Ah, if only it was like this every morning…I wouldn't mind one bit._ He removed some of the hair from her eyes and noticed that her cheeks were still red from crying last night.

_Last night seemed to never end, not like I wanted it to. Misty had told me some things…it made me cry just as hard as she was, but I'm glad she told me everything, and now I feel as if we gotten closer._

Misty began to open her eyes now and noticed Ash under her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I slept all on you." She had begun to blush as she sat up.

"It's ok Misty, I know you were tired," he replied.

He sat up next to her. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept great, but I can't remember the dream I had—it was so good too." She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "But you were in it though."

"I was? What were we doing?" Ash smiled and placed his head on her shoulder.

"It wasn't that kind of dream," she said tiredly as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you sure? You know, I bet those kind of dreams are fun to accomplish." Ash gave a mischievous smile.

"Ash you're horrible!" She laughed and hit his arm.

"See I accomplished my goal for the morning: I made my little Corsola smile," he said happily, pinching her cheeks.

"Ash, knock it off." She laughed harder and brushed him off. "You're so playful."

"Only when you're around, then when others show up I get serious and down to business!"

Misty smiled brightly and said, "Ash, I feel I have to…thank you for last night…"

"Misty it was nothing really I was stupid to expect so much out of bringing you here I should've just minded my own business. I only thought of you but honestly I should have asked for your opinion first," Ash began to make his excuse but Misty cut him off.

"Ash, I know you had the best interests at heart and you only wanted to make things better. Maybe it was my fault for overreacting, but still after last night I just want to really thank you. I thought I was going to lose myself again. I felt like I did when I was a kid, and it just brought back so many memories and…" She sighed, trying to catch her composure, "but it was like you pulled me out of it all, and then I dumped everything on you….maybe I should apologize."

"Misty you did nothing wrong," he answered back, "You had to let it all go, and I couldn't have been happier that you shared it all with me. It makes me so happy that you can trust me like this, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

He held her hand, he didn't want her to break down again, but she only smiled.

"Maybe you should. I've always hated secrets…but thanks nevertheless." She looked into his eyes again. "I feel…so close to you…like I can tell you anything and…I'm really glad to have a friend like you." Even though she always felt close to him, last night it was like a new and different kind of closeness. She wanted to explore it but she couldn't help but be afraid, she didn't want her heart to break again, losing her sisters was hard enough, but losing Ash? Somehow that was way more than she could bear.

Ash looked back into her eyes, he could somehow still sense her apprehension, but he wanted to get closer to her so he had to break that barrier somehow.

"Misty, I want you to know that you can trust me with anything, and whenever you need to talk, just know that I'm here for you and I always will be—no matter how far we're apart from each other," he said as he looked sincerely into her eyes, showing her that he wasn't lying. He squeezed her hand.

_Misty, I want nothing to ever separate us, _he thought_. Maybe we are just friends but…someday I want to give every emotion I have to you._

He saw her smile back and then the distance between them didn't seem so far away anymore. He had to tell her, there was no doubt about it.

"Misty…I have to tell you…that I-I—"

"Good morning! I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Ash and Misty were startled and jumped away from each other. Misty looked to see Brock hovering over them.

"Brock! Gosh, you scared me!"

"Really? You don't look all that scared to me." Brock smiled.

"Brock…uh…g-good morning…h-how did you sleep?" Ash stammered out.

"Well I slept well, but apparently not as good as you did." Brock laughed and Misty attempted to cut him off from his train of thought.

"Brock, don't go that far, it's not what you think…" She began to blush again.

"Sure, whatever you say…" he said as he rolled his eyes in response.

"Brock get your head out of gutter already, it's too early in the morning, and besides don't you have like breakfast to cook or something?" Ash interrupted.

"Well—oh hey, good morning nurse Joy!" Brock's one track mind led him once again to the beautiful woman.

Joy came out yawning and stretching. "Good morning everyone, I trust you all slept well." She smiled.

"Oh Joy, in your wonderful service and grace I could sleep well for a million years!" Brock's idiotic grin appeared again—Ash and Misty rolled their eyes.

"Well why don't you go back to sleep then!" Misty yelled and pulled him away by the ear.

Joy laughed. "Misty, do you mind helping me with some pokemon in the back please?"

"Sure Joy!" she replied.

She began to walk back with her but not without looking back to see Ash's smile again.

* * *

><p>"Aww, man May why didn't you tell me?" Ash ran frantically, May trailing behind him.<p>

"I'm sorry I didn't think it mattered…"

"Of course it matters May! Misty was deeply hurt by her sisters yesterday did you really think she wanted to talk to them?" Ash yelled.

"Well she didn't seem reluctant to pick up the phone!" May responded back.

They saw Misty come out the phone room with her head down and expected the worst. "Misty! Are you ok? What they say? What did they do to you?" Ash looked worriedly into her eyes.

"It's not that…it's just…Violet left," she mumbled out slowly, mostly shocked by this.

"Huh? Really?" they asked, not expecting her to say that piece of news.

Misty nodded. "She left this morning. The note she left only said that she was leaving to become a stronger trainer so she could beat me one day. Who knows if she is even coming back?"

"It would be good if she never comes back." Ash said defiantly.

"Ash!" the girls began to protest.

"What? Violet's a bitch, there I'm not afraid to say it, and it would be good if she doesn't come back."

"But Ash who knows what could happen to her, she might get an accident or something, and then Misty could never say goodbye to her," May pointed out.

"Why would she? So she could get yelled at again and called a murderer?" Ash asked, anger rising in his voice.

"They might hate each other but they're sisters and they deserve each other!" May also had an angry tone.

"Are you serious?"

"She's right Ash," Misty cut in, "Even sisters who absolutely hate each other should still see each other. They at least deserve a hello."

"Not in my opinion." Ash crossed his arms. "Not when they made you feel the way you did last night."

May had an urge of curiosity. "What happened last night?"

Both Ash and Misty flinched and looked away, afraid to meet each other's blushes.

"Ah, I see. Looks like Brock _was _right," May replied, beginning to smile. She began to walk away and it took a few seconds for them to figure out what she just said.

"Hey wait, what did Brock say?" they both yelled and ran after her.

* * *

><p>"I hate to see you guys leave now, I was beginning to get used to the company." Nurse Joy smiled as she was seeing Ash and the others off.<p>

"Well, Joy, if you really want me to stay I suppose I could—" Brock was cut off by the pulling of his ear by Misty.

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with us! Besides it's best if you know that her husband can probably kick your ass."

"Misty!" Joy began to scowl then ended up laughing. "Ash, please take care of her, you know she can have such a reckless streak."

"Don't worry Joy, I'll protect her with everything I have." Ash smiled with confidence.

"Hey no fair, if I have a reckless streak it's only because I got it from Ash!" Misty retaliated.

"Hey don't blame this on me!" Ash answered back, getting head first into another argument.

Tracy sighed. "Well if they aren't making love they're making war." Everyone laughed at this except Ash and Misty, who stopped and stared in shock before beginning to yell at Brock.

"Brock, what on earth did you tell them?" Misty nearly shrieked and her face flushed with embarrassment.

Brock just smiled. "Well, I suppose we should get going then, right? Daylight is fading already it seems…"

"Hey don't change the subject!" Misty was having a hard time fighting the urge to hit Brock with her mallet.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others had reached a port on the eastern side of Cerulean.<p>

"Ash why are we here?" May asked.

"Because we have no choice, we have to cross the ocean now." Ash was looking at his map, "Yep, about 100 miles northwest, and then—"

"Ash, how are we supposed to cross over?" Dawn asked.

"Well," Ash looked over at Misty.

Misty rolled her eyes, "So that's why you wanted me here, so you could take advantage of the fact that I have a Gyarados?"

"Aww, come on Mist, you know how much I need you, the fact that you have a Gyarados is an added bonus!" Ash gave his winning smile and his puppy dog eyes, "Please?"

Misty blushed and turned away, folding her arms. _Damn that smile, _she thought bitterly.

"Fine, but I'm not doing it for you, this is for Pikachu."

Ash nodded and happily gave Misty a kiss on the cheek, "You're the best."

Misty smiled. "Gyarados, come on out." The huge pokemon came out yawning.

"Wow, now looking up close on him he's so big!" Dawn laughed.

"Yeah, to think Misty used to be scared out of her mind whenever she saw a Gyarados," Brock mentioned.

* * *

><p>The group had been traveling on Gyarados for about two hours. Ash and Misty sat on the front part, everyone else was further back.<p>

"Ash, where is this island? I don't even see it on this map," Tracy had his own map in order to have some idea where they were going.

"Of course," Ash answered, "Team Rocket is not going to let their place be obvious, but don't worry I know exactly where we're going."

"Isn't that a surprise," Misty remarked. Everyone laughed.

"Ha, ha, hey it always Brock that gets us lost now, not me," Ash said.

"Hey, that only happened one time! And maybe a couple of times afterward…." Brock tried to defend himself, but Ash only laughed.

"But how _do_ you know where we're going? If it's not on the map then…" May trailed off.

"We're not that far off, in fact, we'll know we'll be there once we hit the whirlpools."

Everyone grew quiet.

"WHIRLPOOLS?" they screamed.

"Ash, are you insane? You're leading my Gyarados into whirlpools? He can't handle that, Ash! Sure he's strong but—"

"Don't worry," Ash cut Misty off, "We should be fine, they aren't even that strong."

"How do you know that, you never even been this way! You idiot!" Misty yelled.

"Hey, this is the fastest way ok? I had no choice, besides there's not that many…" Ash knew he was never going to hear the end of this.

"Ash, I wouldn't be making this much of a fuss if we were on a boat or something, but this is a pokemon—_my_ pokemon! _My_ Gyarados! Ash, I swear I'm going to—"

Misty was cut off again, this time, by hitting a rough tide in the water. "Gyarados!" She franticly held on to him.

"Are we…here?" Dawn nervously asked.

Ash sighed and looked towards the water. "We're here."

The water, which seemed calm at first, became choppy and rough. "Everyone hang on!" Brock yelled.

They all clutched each other as Gyarados braved through the waves. "Hang in there, Gyarados, we're almost there," Misty assured him. The Gyarados seemed to be doing fine until a huge wave tossed them up into the air. Everyone screamed, and Tracy almost fell off, only to be saved by Brock and May.

"Hang in there! Don't you dare fall!" they yelled. Dawn was barely hanging on to the tail. Ash was bracing Misty, who was holding on to Gyarados tightly.

"I would knock you off if I was sure you wasn't going to fall," Misty began to scowl.

"You choose to yell at me now? This isn't really the best time!" Ash said.

Misty was about to yell something back when part of a whirlpool began to suck them in. "Oh no!" May yelled.

Ash had an idea, "Misty quick tell Gyarados to use Hyper Beam on the water!"

Misty followed his advice and the hyper beam ended up breaking up the waves long enough for them to get away. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Many more waves came afterward, but as they reached shore they were less powerful. Once they all finally got to shore, everyone gasped for air, letting go of the breaths they were holding.

Ash was the first to stand up. "See, what I say? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Everyone gave him the death glare. "Ash, I think I speak for all of us when I say—run." Misty had leaded everyone in the chase against him.

* * *

><p>As punishment for his mistake Ash was given the task of cooking dinner every night for a week. It wasn't so bad, Ash was getting better with his cooking and he still had the help of Brock. A few hours after dinner, Ash was by himself in a small field, not far away from camp. For some reason Ash never wanted to be alone, especially at night, but ironically he found himself seeking private places to be every chance he got.<p>

He was lying under a bright moon, gazing at the stars. _Pikachu…its times like this I wish you were here to look at the stars with me…_He sighed. Ash was too tired to get back to camp yet he didn't want to sleep alone. _Has my heart always felt this heavy?_ _I guess it makes sense, but still…I hate to be without all my energy as before…_

He felt himself perk up to a familiar scent. _Misty…I know her perfume anywhere…_

"Ash?"

"I'm here Misty…" Ash sat up.

"Ash you've got to stop doing this," Misty sat down beside him, "You know how worried I get when you leave in the middle of the night."

Ash looked at Misty and smiled. _Did she always care this much for me?_ "I'm sorry Mist, I just needed some time to think."

"Are you okay?" Misty once again held her worried look.

Ash nodded. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"To see if you'd tell the truth."

Ash laughed. "Well in that case, I feel a lot better now that you're here."

Misty felt her heart skip a beat but ignored it. "Ash, I want you to know that I will be there for you, just like you are for me, but I can't if you never tell me the feelings you're hiding. It's not good to keep it all inside. I know you're hurting and I want to help you." Misty looked into Ash's eyes, or at least tried—his head was down. "I may be sounding too worrisome but I would feel a lot happier knowing that you feel at least fifty percent better." She touched his hand in order to reach out to him.

Ash smiled but continued to have his head down, "Misty, nothing makes me happier than to have someone like you by my side." He looked into her eyes. "Just hearing you say my name makes me feel better."

Misty blushed like crazy but couldn't turn her eyes away from his. "Ash…" She saw his smile grow. How much she wanted to finish her sentence: _How do you feel about me?_ Even after all that she was still hesitant.

"Ash…I have faith in you without a shadow of a doubt, but the question is, do you have faith in yourself? Because that's the only way you're going to get Pikachu and the others back—you can't give up on yourself no matter what, Ash. You know that don't you?"

"I know I know…but…it's nearly been three months, three months since I saw Pikachu. Every day I find myself more determined but more doubtful none of the less, and I have to keep asking myself when my doubt will take over me. I know I could never let it take over but…I guess I've gotten more scared since this all started…" Ash trailed off. He felt that he was changing and didn't know which way to go.

Misty sighed. "I suppose what hurts me the most is that I can only feel a bit of what you're going through. I only lost my pokemon for a few hours, but it's so much longer for you that it's beginning to be a bit surreal." She thought for a bit. "I guess the only thing I can tell you is to just…remember."

"Remember?"

"Remember how you got here, remember all the times you shared with your pokemon, remember how you first caught them all, remember all your hard work and training, remember your bond with them, and use that as your inspiration. If all else fails, just remember how much your pokemon really mean to you, and how much you would give to get them back. You can't give up yet when they're counting on you, they need you as much as you need them. If you do, you'll lose a lot more than them, you'll lose your entire life—you can't let that happen Ash. You just can't."

Ash sat silent for a few seconds then it felt as if he had a burst of energy. "Misty, you have to be the smartest woman I ever met. All this time and I never thought of it that way! Aggghhh! How could I have been so stupid!" He buried his face in his hands.

"Well, you should be used to that fact by now," Misty laughed.

"You think I would," Ash laughed back.

"Misty," he held both of her hands in his, "how do you always find a way to cheer me up?"

Misty just smiled. "I guess I have the magic touch." She giggled.

Ash only smiled. "Thank you, thank you," his kissed her hands, causing her to blush even more.

"A—Ash…." She laughed. She felt sparks fly through her veins as he kissed them over and over.

"You know you're my rock, right?"

"I thought Brock was your rock?"

Ash laughed. "Not like you are. Somehow, when you're around, all of my worry goes away."

"Well that makes me happy. Just try not to go by yourself so much at night ok? Just remember if you need someone to talk to I'm here, even if you have to wake me, I won't be mad if it's you."

Ash still held his smile. "What would I have ever done without you?"

"You probably would've run into a wall or something by now." They both laughed.

* * *

><p>Ash found himself walking through a cold, dark, long hallway. "Hello? Is anyone there?"<p>

No response.

He kept walking straight until he heard a loud pitched scream.

"What the—?" He broke off into a run. He ran down the hall until he had begun to see light; then, without a moment's hesitation, ran straight for it. "M-Misty!"

There was Misty, being held by Giovanni, bleeding from her left temple and her right leg.

"Ash? Oh my god, Ash, look what he did to Pikachu!" she said, her voice filled with so much fear that it scared Ash to death at that moment.

He looked down and couldn't believe what he was seeing—Pikachu covered in blood, not moving.

"Pi—Pikachu…?" He slowly knelt down to him, already realizing that he was dead but didn't want to fully trust his eyes. Ash shook him, but to no avail. "Pikachu….Pikachu!"

"It's no use, boy," Giovanni laughed, "The stupid rat had the nerve to try and stop me, just like your little girlfriend here."

"Giovanni you bastard, let her go!"

Giovanni only shook his head. "You should know that is never going to work with me; you always were such a stupid boy, and never on time."

"What are you talking about?"

Giovanni took a step to the side, with Misty still in his arms, and behind them was bodies that were obviously in a massacre, but a few looked familiar to him.

"No…" Ash took a step forward. He saw the bodies of all his friends: May, Dawn, Brock, and Tracy.

"I'm sorry Ash, me and Pikachu, we tried to save them…." Misty began to explain but Giovanni cut her off.

"You just couldn't listen to reason could you Ash? It would've been so much easier if you came alone, do you know the mess I have to clean up now? Let alone you're friends, there's also all these officers, and…" Giovanni took one more step and revealed another familiar body.

"It…it can't be…." Ash's eyes widened.

It was the blood stricken body of his beloved mother.

"All of them were fools, including you. How does it feel to have everyone die before you? Any last words to say to Misty here?" He pulled out a gun from his vest pocket. "I'll give you ten seconds if you like."

Ash was overwhelmed with sadness and anger, but his anger was mostly prevailing now that he held Pikachu in his arms. "You…you sick, twisted…"

"Well Misty I guess he has no words for you…better say your goodbyes now." Giovanni laughed.

"Ash…I'm so sorry…I love you…" Misty, who had been crying this whole time, wiped her eyes in order to see Ash clearly one last time. "Goodbye…"

"No!" Ash ran toward her but it was too late, all he could hear was the gunshot.

"NOOOOOOO!" He fell to his knees, Pikachu still cradled in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Now, now, Ash, is that any way to spend your final moments—crying like a pathetic man?" Giovanni began to laugh again and came toward him.

Ash eyes flashed red with fury. "Die you bastard!" He didn't know how but he somehow gained a knife in his hand and was running toward Giovanni with all his might.

Giovanni pointed his gun and fired the trigger. "Idiot." His laugh rang throughout the room.

Ash wasn't quite dead yet but he knew he will be soon. He looked up at the ceiling and saw his life pass before his eyes. So many moments, so many friendships, so many broken hearts.

_No…no…..it can't end this way….no…..no….._

He began to see a bright white light, and voices calling his name.

_No…I—I can't go yet….Giovanni is still alive….he's going to do this again…._

The voices kept calling his name, and he felt himself slipping away.

_No, no, noooo…_

"Ash? Ash? Wake up, wake up!"

Ash bolted upwards, scaring Misty and Brock who were hovering over him. "Misty?"

"Are you ok, Ash? You kept screaming in your sleep, then you started to cry, then you started to say my name, and call for Pikachu…" She nearly had tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Misty, I just had a really bad dream…" Ash held on to his arm to keep it from shaking.

"Are you sure you're ok, man?" Brock patted him on the shoulder. "You don't look so well."

It was at then that Misty began to cry. "Misty what's wrong?" They both asked.

"I—I—I'm sorry…I…" She began to cry into Ash's shoulder.

Ash held her and instantly remembered his dream and how she was covered in blood, and tears came to his eyes.

Brock, who was more confused than ever, decided to back away from the situation. "Look you guys I'll just leave you alone ok? And don't worry 'bout breakfast, Ash, I got it." He stood up.

"Thanks Brock, I owe you one…" Ash didn't look in his eyes, for one he was too afraid of breaking down in front of him, and for two he only wanted to look at Misty.

Brock just nodded and walked away, a bit disappointed that he couldn't be as close to Ash as Misty was but figured it was for the best; he didn't want to see Ash cry anyway.

When he was sure they were alone Ash began to comfort Misty. "Misty, why are you crying?"

Misty didn't answer at first but just held him tightly, then looked up in his eyes. "You had a dream about us dying, didn't you?"

Ash smiled, trying to be positive, "Was it that obvious?"

"You're a kind, sweet, gentle person who worried about his friends," Misty cried into his chest again, "And I had a dream that _you _had died, Ash, right here in my arms, just like this…" She cried harder. "And I never felt so sad in my life."

_It was like…a piece of me was dying…_

They sat there for a little while, trying to sort out through their separate feelings. Neither said a word, but nothing was needed to be said. In their world of constant fear for the future, they knew that things were only going to get worse from here, and that the silence was golden.

* * *

><p>Hope you all liked it! I actually like the next chapter so stay tuned.<p>

Until next time...


	14. Chapter 14: The Day I Fell For You

I rise from the ashes to bring you another chapter! I always have liked this one, I just wish I would've posted it earlier, and in a moment you'll see why. Enjoy the flashback!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: The Day I Fell In Love with You<strong>

**This story is told from Ash's point of view.**

* * *

><p>I'm beginning to learn more about you every day.<p>

I sat across from Misty during breakfast, taking sideways glances at her while she was talking to May and Dawn.

It doesn't seem that long since I first fell in love with you, but it's been about five years now.

It feels so good to see you laugh, to see you smile—who knew this puny ten-year-old brat would become so wonderful to me.

I smiled slightly as I remembered how pissed she was about that bike.

"**What happened to your bike?"**

"_**You **_**happened to my bike you little loser!"**

I don't blame her, I would be pissed too, but when I think about it today I'm glad I ruined that bike. I thought after Misty left for the first time I would be able to get over it and move on, but as time progressed, I realized that Misty wasn't the type of person to forget easily.

It all started about five years ago, on a day that I find sort of ironic: Valentine's Day. Of course I wasn't interested in women back then, even though I was old enough to, I was slow to the punch sometimes. I was traveling with May, Max, and Brock then. We had just entered a small town that didn't even have a gym, but luckily had a pokemon center.

To tell the truth, I didn't even realize it was Valentine's Day until about mid-day, when we were all eating lunch.

"What's so special about Valentine's Day anyway? The best part is the chocolate." I laughed to myself, stuffing a whole handful in my mouth.

"What's so special about it?" May retaliated, "You can't be that dense!"

"He's not May, this day is not really important to people who don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend," Max came to my defense.

"Guys, this day isn't just for couples," Brock spoke, "It's for anyone who you love dearly: your friends, your mom, your family—"

"Yeah, so happy love day May!" Max had showed May his mouth full of food.

"Gross, Max that's disgusting!"

"But May, it's my loving gift to you."

Everyone laughed.

"Hmm, a holiday that's just not for couples, huh?" I thought out aloud. "In that case, I should call my mom and wish her a happy valentine's."

That's when a nurse Joy came up to us. "May, I have a message for you." She had handed May a red card.

"Joy! Oh, what a joyful day indeed!" Brock had run up and grabbed her by the hands. "Lovely, lovely Joy, please don't tell me that you have a date for this valentine's night!"

Joy, to my surprise, had begun to blush a little and looked away, "Well actually I don't have a date tonight. Would you like to take me out, Brock?"

"I would beautiful!"

Dumbfounded out of my mind, Brock did take Joy out that night, and a few years later they went out again. May had gotten a card from a secret admirer, who we found out later was Drew and we had our suspicions ever since. Even Max had gotten a few looks that day, and mom ate dinner with Professor Oak. It seemed like a perfect day to call and check up on Misty, since everything else that day was so unexpected. However for some reason that day I just couldn't dial her number.

It's not that I couldn't remember it, or didn't feel like it, but I just didn't know what to say to her. I hadn't seen her in about a year and I guess I was a little nervous, especially today of all days.

By that night I couldn't get her off my mind. I couldn't sleep and I remember Pikachu asking if I was nervous about something. Pikachu could always read my mind, kind of scary sometimes. Anyway I lied and said that I wasn't real sleepy so I thought drinking warm milk might help. Of course my true intensions were to call Misty because I knew I wouldn't get any sleep until I did.

I knew she would be mad but I didn't care.

I patiently waited for her to answer, a bit nervous still, but somewhat determined.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Misty? Is that you?" When I think about how she looked now, I think that I've never seen anything more beautiful. Her hair was down, it wasn't very long yet, she was in pink pjs with blue bubbles, her eyes were a little red and puffy—from all the reading she had been doing—and her desk was littered with paper and books.

I'll never forget that smile she gave me. "Ash? My goodness, what are you doing calling me?" She had attempted to fix her disheveled hair.

"Well, I just was wondering how you were doing so I thought I'd call…" I had stopped myself before I became flustered and I felt myself beginning to blush. I wonder why? Misty did say once that I was cute and naïve.

She smiled. "Ash it's so good to see you, to hear your voice, I've missed you…a lot."

I just laughed. "Well, how are things going?"

Misty sighed tiredly, "Well, I would be better without all this work to do. I've been up all night going over bills and expenses, cleaning the gym and everything in between—I swear sometimes it feels like I'm living by myself—my sisters hardly do anything anymore…"

"Have you talked to them about it?" I asked.

"Oh, hundreds of times, but all they do is say ok and then don't do a thing, it's annoying so I stopped asking," she replied.

"Well that's so unfair! I would go on strike until I feel appreciated!"

She just laughed. "Ash, if I did that, no one would take care of the gym and everything would be ruined, besides I'm trying to get us out of this debt we've been in since I got here, it's so annoying."

"Yeah, you're right." I smiled having a great idea, "Listen I know I can't be there to help you, but I don't want you to feel like you're completely alone either. So you can talk to me about anything, and let me know how you feel."

She held her hand to her chin. "Oh, I don't know…"

"Aw, come on, it can't be so bad." I didn't care what she talked about at the moment, a part of me just wanted to hear her voice, the other part of me actually wanted to help—she is my friend after all.

Misty smiled weakly. It was obvious she had been pulling all nighters for a while. "Ash, it seems like the more I try to stay afloat, the more I feel like I'm drowning." She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and laying back in the chair. "I don't know how much more I can take."

I hated to see her that way, she's usually so happy. "Maybe you just need a break…you can come visit us again!"

She looked at me with that same weak smile again. "Things were so simpler back then, when I didn't care that much," she laughed, "but now…it's hard to get away. If it isn't bills to pay there's matches to be in, badges to give away, places to go to represent the gym—I had to go to a pokemon league conference a few months ago…" She sighed. "It's a never ending way of the world."

"Can't your sisters go every once in a while?"

"Well, they all claim that they're 'busy' but the only one who somewhat supports me is Daisy. Everyone else leaves, but Daisy always stays—it's nice to have at least one good sister." She had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked so cute, but I didn't think that back then.

"But enough about me, how are you doing, Ash?" she asked me.

"Ah nothing much, just same old, same old," I answered. We both laughed, and wondered why I was so apprehensive. Was it because I hadn't spoken to her in a long time?

"Oh, Ash, I wish you would call me more! In my hectic little world I would like it if you guys would at least email me once in a while," she said absentmindedly.

"I'm so sorry Misty, to tell you the truth, I've been so off into my training and battles, and I just haven't had the time," I sighed dejectedly, honestly feeling bad about this.

"Sooo, you have been winning badges…" Misty became the most excited I've seen her all conversation long and placed her hands under her chin. "Tell me Ash, I just want to know of your progress, you haven't even told me how Pikachu and the others are doing."

I started off by telling her how Pikachu had learned volt tackle, and after that, I suddenly became more and more talkative. Misty didn't seem to mind, in fact I think my adventures took her mind off hers.

By the end of the night, two hours had turned into to five, and we were laughing until Misty could see the sun come up. "Oh, gosh Ash, I'm so sorry, it's because of me you didn't get any sleep."

"Hey, don't worry about it Misty, it was worth it. We should definitely do this again."

"I know I had so much fun, brings back old memories…" Misty yawned, the first time I seen her do it tonight, and then gave me a bright smile. I remember thinking there was something about it…

"Well Ash I should be thanking you, I got no work done." She giggled.

"Aren't you supposed to be scolding me for that?" I asked.

Misty had only shaken her head. "Not this time," she said.

We sat smiling at each other then I broke the silence. "Misty, I promise I'll call you every week."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Ash, it's ok you don't have to, I know you'll really busy and I don't want to take you away…"

I protested, "Misty, I feel bad now for not calling you earlier, don't worry, at night I have nothing better to do—trust me I'll call you, I promise." Misty known first hand that I never break a promise, no matter how hard it may seem, and I think she always liked that quality about me.

She nodded, "Alright, Ash. Well, just take care of yourself ok? And if you can't call me every week, call me every two weeks to let me know you're ok."

"Don't worry I will."

I was suddenly reminded of the day she had left me, and I realized just how much I missed her. She was the first one to give me confidence in my journey, but now that she wasn't there—sure the others are great too but still—Misty is definitely one of a kind. She is probably the only person who could talk mess to you and complement you at the same time.

"Well, Ash, I better go and fix breakfast before the princesses get up," Misty said.

We both laughed. "It was good to see you again, Ash," she continued, "I swear as soon as I get a free chance I'll come and see you—if I'm lucky I might get away for a month or something."

"And if you don't come to see me I'll come to see you, don't worry I promise we'll always keep in touch," I added.

She smiled again, her eyes sparkling like diamonds, that's when I realized what was different about her: she was more beautiful when happy. Of course, everyone is pretty when they're happy, but Misty…it was just something different…I wanted to see her happy more, just like all of my friends.

Being true on my word, I did call her again later on that week, and every week afterward. As we both got older, and I began to learn more and more about her, she became all the more interesting, exciting, attractive, addicting. That's right, I became addicted to her voice, her laugh, her smile, even her anger—although she doesn't get angry as much as she used to unless I really piss her off. But every inch of her just set me on fire, and I began to wonder why I never felt this way about another woman. I mean May is also strong willed and determined, Dawn is bubbly and carefree, and all the other girls I meet seem nice, but I guess my heart chose Misty somehow. I just wanted to know as much as could about her, and once I did, I couldn't get enough. Ha, I must sound like some creepy stalker or crazed fan, but I'm just her friend—at least that's what I thought. I didn't know it then, but just that one phone call had set off a whirlwind of emotions and a bond that I thought I could only get through my pokemon. I was stubborn but it took me a while to finally realize my feelings for her, and to my surprise it was Pikachu who helped me see it. I never would've thought I'd see the day when he was smarter than me.

Oh, and before I hung up with Misty that morning, I just had to tell her one last thing.

"Hey, Misty…"

"Yes Ash?"

"I know it's kind of late, but…happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

><p>Be sure to tell me if you liked it! Although it's ok if you thought it sucked.<p>

Until next time...


	15. Chapter 15 : Gravity

Well after much thinking and wondering I actually decided to cut a chapter that had originally been before this one. Not to worry it was a pretty insigificant chapter in my opinion that I only wrote because I was bored and its deletion has no effect on the main story line. It was pretty much a chapter about May in other words, and I figured it would bore you guys. Anyway I was also excited about posting this chapter, because it gets very exciting from here. Enjoy!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon sadly sorry to disappoint.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Gravity<strong>

Ash woke up in a cold sweat.

_Damn, that dream again…_he begun to think until a voice whispered in the darkness.

"Ash?"

Misty had stirred awake beside him. "Are you ok?"

Ash had placed his hands on his temples, trying to calm himself. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Of course Misty knew he was far from fine but decided to dismiss it this time and go back to sleep, but Ash stopped her as she laid back down.

"Misty?" he asked hoarsely.

"Yeah Ash?" she answered.

"Can you promise me something?"

She turned to look in his eyes. "Anything," she replied.

"Don't ever leave me."

Misty couldn't help but be surprised; what exactly was he trying to say?

"Ash, I won't ever leave you no matter what, I promise."

Ash smiled, the relief clear on his face. "Thanks." He reached over and kissed her forehead, and then they both fell off to sleep.

The next morning they were all up and following the original trail. For about a week now, the plan was to stay next to the river, hoping it would lead them past the main—and only—city and straight toward the Rocket headquarters.

"Are you sure this is going to work Ash?" Tracy asked.

"It's the only way," Ash answered.

"How do you know exactly which way to go anyway? That map looks pretty ambiguous," Tracy replied back.

"Well, you'll just have to trust me on this one," he turned around smiling while walking, "I have a secret expert who's helping me."

"A secret expert?" Brock repeated.

"Don't start, I'm not telling you who," Ash's smile getting broader with each word.

"Aw, come on Ash, you have to tell us, don't keep us in suspense," May pleaded.

"Nope, a secret's a secret," he said.

"It's not…Jessie and James is it?" Misty asked.

"Jessie and James? Are you crazy, they helped steal Pikachu away from me there's no way I'd let them help me!"

"Well, they do have a helping reputation sometimes…" Misty said in defense.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I will never ask for their help again! It's definitely not them." Before more suggestions came up, Ash cleared up the situation: "Don't worry guys I'll tell you exactly who it is once all this is over."

An hour later they were by the river, but still technically hiding in the bushes, so they decided to take a small break. Ash had been uneasy all during lunch, as if it was like he could feel something coming.

"Hey Ash are you ok?" Brock asked, "You've been awful quiet, something on your mind?"

Ash sat there for a minute, and then said, "Something doesn't seem right."

Everyone seemed surprised by this sudden change and began looking around. "What are you talking about Ash," May whispered, "I don't see anyone…"

"Maybe not now, but it's like I know they're here somehow." Ash began to bite down on his fork, showing his nervousness.

"Well then in that case we'd better keep moving. The closer we get to Team Rocket, the more defensive they'll be. We got to be more cautious," Brock suggested.

Everyone nodded and packed up their things.

Ash could feel knots tie up in his stomach. His protective instinct kicked in and without warning, he pulled Misty closer to him.

"Ash what are you—?"

"Stay close to me," he whispered in her ear.

"Are they really close? Can you see them?" She whispered back.

Ash shook his head. "But I know they'll come soon. We're almost to the city they got to be on their guard."

As if on cue, everyone looked up as they could hear a helicopter in the sky.

"We got company!" Brock yelled.

"Get ready guys, here we go!" Ash yelled back, holding a pokeball in his hand.

The helicopter stopped midway in the air and out the top raised a platform with Butch and Cassidy on top.

"Team Rocket!" everyone yelled.

"What are you doing here, go away!" Ash yelled.

"Funny, we were about to tell you the same thing," Cassidy replied.

"This is our turf kid you don't know who you're messing with," Butch added.

"Oh please your words mean nothing to us!" May yelled.

"They come on _our_ island with an attitude? Let's show them what happens to those who threaten us." Cassidy smiled, holding a controller, "Let's see how you like it to have all your pokemon in the hands of Team Rocket!" With the push of her button, out came about ten metal hands from the helicopter, ready to grab anything in sight.

Everyone flinched, having an idea of what was going to happen next they prepared themselves.

"There's no way I'm going out like this. Marill go!" Tracy brought out his prized water pokemon. The others followed in suit.

"Croagunk!"

"Combusken!"

"Piplup!"

"Starmie!"

"Quilava!"

All of their pokemon came out ready to defend their trainers. Cassidy just smiled. "Humph. You think that is enough to defeat Team Rocket?"

Ash clenched his hands. "There's no way we're going to be defeated by the likes of you! Everyone get ready!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Cassidy began using her controller to cause the hands to lash out at them, but Ash and the others did the best they could to hold them off. Starmie, Piplup, and Marrill kept some away with their water gun; Croagunk's poison jab took out all that came its way, while Quilava and Combusken took out some with their flamethrower. But Cassidy was too fast, and managed to save a few grabbing hands.

"Combusken!" May yelled. It had gotten hit by a wandering hand and knocked to the ground. She ran over, "Are you alright?" She smiled as Combusken nodded but didn't notice the hand coming behind her.

"May watch out!" Misty pushed her out of the way just in time. Now it was Misty's turn to ask May if she was alright, but then as she reached out to grab her hand to help her back up, _she_ was unexpectedly grabbed from behind.

"MISTY!" May had yelled in shock.

Misty yelled as she was being pulled farther away from the ground. "Starmie use your water gun to help me loose," she replied. Starmie fired, but wasn't fast enough for Cassidy's quick hands.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, this is so fun! I got a bite!" Cassidy laughed.

Butch encouraged her, "Don't let it get away!"

"Yeah, yeah…" she said back, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

Ash was beyond annoyed now, "That's it, Quilava use flamethrower on the box Cassidy's holding!" She screamed as the controller caught on fire and dropped it, but not before she managed to bring Misty to the helicopter, and she landed right on top.

"Ash!" She wanted to jump off but Butch held her back before she could.

"Aw, come on now little one, you're not leaving us already are you?" He asked with a vicious smile.

She struggled against him, "Let me go!"

Butch just smiled, "As if you could get away from me."

Misty was growing frustrated. Although she probably could break free from Butch, she didn't want to risk it, especially if they had guns.

"Starmie, use swift!" she commanded.

Starmie jumped up as high as it could and used swift on Butch right between his eyes.

"Oww, my head!" He clutched his bleeding forehead, while Misty broke free and returned Starmie right before being restrained again by Cassidy.

"Just try it, girl I'll snap your neck!"

Misty reluctantly gave up.

"Let her go, Cassidy!" Ash yelled from below.

"What's wrong with you kids today," she laughed, "You always think that will work? You all are just too polite."

"Let her go, she has nothing to do with this! It's me you want, not her!"

"Oh on the contrary, Ash we need this girl—at least the boss needs her." Cassidy smiled maliciously.

"What are you talking about?" May asked.

"You see, this girl is essential to us, and if you want to see her alive again you'll listen to what we have to say," Cassidy replied.

Brock had another pokemon in his hand at the ready but Cassidy stopped him: "Oh no you don't gym leader, release your pokemon and she dies!" As proof she pulled her gun and placed it on Misty's temple. Everyone had worried looks on their faces and backed off. Cassidy felt so good being in complete control and continued, "Now Ash, we have a proposition for you."

Ash gritted his teeth. "What!"

Cassidy smiled again, "Oh Ash, I didn't know you could lose your temper so easily…anyway this is the deal, you meet us—I should say our boss—at midnight at this address." She tossed a card down to him. "I'm sure you know where the place is, you know everything else right? Well, except for the fact that our boss wants to battle you, he wants to test your power. He's very…interested in you, boy…." She began to laugh, which made Misty's skin crawl—although she didn't show it. "I'm sure you'll come—and come alone I hope—my boss doesn't like too much company…anyway if you don't come the girl dies, simple as that, and I suppose the same happens if you should lose this match."

She tossed Misty over to Butch, and they began descending back into the helicopter.

"See you soon, Ash." Cassidy laughed again.

Ash felt completely helpless as he watched her disappearing figure. "Misty!"

"Ash!" She yelled back, but he couldn't hear her over the sound of the helicopter taking off.

Just like that, Team Rocket was gone, and so was Misty.

They all stood there in silence for a few seconds, trying to take in exactly what just happened. May fell to her knees, "I-I can't believe they took her…."

Dawn went over to her to try and reassure her, "Don't worry we'll get her back, no problem."

May still felt sorry for herself, "It's all my fault, she was trying to save me…"

"It's not your fault May," Ash spoke up, "You did everything you could, it's ok, but what we have to worry about now is getting her back. Brock and Tracy walked up to him.

"You know where that address is right?" Tracy asked.

Ash nodded and answered, "Yeah I know where this place is…its Team Rocket's old headquarters."

* * *

><p>The next thing she knew, Misty was being thrown into a dark windowless room, her arms tied behind her.<p>

"Just stay put there girl," Cassidy said, "and don't even think about trying to escape—unless you're about a hundred feet tall and can reach those vents on the ceiling."

Misty gritted her teeth. "What's the point of keeping me here anyway? I thought you guys were only after pokemon!"

"We're bad guys," she answered back, "we can take anything we believe to be ours." With that she left the room, but Butch was still there, looking at her with a malicious smile.

"What's your problem?" She snapped.

Butch continued to smile, "I never realized before, but you're pretty cute up close girl. How about I make this whole thing go away if you go out with me?"

"I'd rather die in a sea of fire! Go play with yourself and leave me alone."

Butch's smile finally faded, "You'll regret that comment girl."

After Butch left Misty surveyed her surroundings. _Damn, Cassidy was right there is no way out of here. There's not even a huge stack of boxes that will take me to the ceiling._ She sat back down and pouted, hating to lose. _Well, I guess all I have to do now is wait for Ash to come._

* * *

><p>"When Team Rocket first came to this island, they built their headquarters in the middle of the island, that way they could be completely surrounded by trees and unseen." Ash was talking to the others while walking through the forest. "However, about thirty years ago they decided to move their place closer to the ocean, not only for easy access, but to make it look less suspicious. They even built a city next to it, it's small but the people there are mostly ex-criminals who try to make a new life for themselves or people who somehow end up stranded here with no way to get out."<p>

"How do you know all this?" Dawn asked.

Ash smiled triumphantly. "I told you my connection!"

"Oh now I'm even more curious," she said.

"Yeah, that poor person must've had to suffer with Ash's ignorance for a long while before he finally understood," May said laughing along with everyone else.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Ash replied back sarcastically.

* * *

><p>After being stuck in a windowless room for what seemed like forever, all Misty had left was her daydreams. Keeping her mind occupied kept her from going insane. She lay on the ground and closed her eyes. She imagined Ash riding in on a beautiful white Ponyta coming to save her—the best part was he had no shirt on. She smiled then sat up.<p>

"I've been reading too much." She sighed. His long black hair dancing in the wind, his beautiful smile, his well chiseled… "Aaahh, too much, too much! Next I'll think about him taking his pants off!" _Or taking my pants off… _she thought before screaming: "I have gone crazy! C'mon Misty, snap out of it, this is no time to be horny!"

There was a knock at the door, then Butch came waltzing in, a smile on his face.

_He acts like he owns the place_, Misty shot a thousand daggers at him through her eyes.

"Hey sweetheart, I missed you."

"Go to hell!"

"Ouch. You think as the prisoner you would treat me with a bit more respect." He walked over to her.

Now mostly angry because he interrupted her daydream, she stood up to face him: "You don't deserve my respect—not even my pity! But I'll tell you what you really deserve…my foot in your a—"

"I don't think that language is very ladylike."

"I don't care what you think!"

Before she could say much more, he swiftly grabbed her by the arms. "Alright then let's cut to the chase. Kiss me."

"You pervert!" Oh how badly she wanted to kick his teeth in! But she settled for the next best thing—a low blow.

"Owww, you son of a….aaahhh…" Butch fell to the ground in agony but somehow managed to catch Misty's ankle as she was trying to run away, tripping her to the ground. Before she could scream for help, Butch was already on top of her. "You asked for this! Remember that!"

He ripped her shirt open and smiled cruelly as he looked at her. "I hope Cass doesn't come in for a while…"

"No! Get off me!" Misty struggled to no avail, Butch was a lot stronger, and the longer he was on her the more she lost strength. _No, this isn't what I want! I want…_ A picture of his face came to her mind. _Ash…_ Meanwhile Butch was struggling to take his pants off while holding Misty down, but she managed to lift her head up and smack him on the nose with her forehead—three times for good measure.

"Oww! Damn you son of a bitch!" Butch fell backwards holding his bleeding nose, while Misty tried to make another break for it. She had finally gotten the ropes off her wrists and opened the door but ran straight into Cassidy.

"What the—?" she said in surprise but then she looked at Misty's torn shirt and Butch's now swollen nose and put it all together. "Butch you idiot, do you have the need to hump everything you see?"

"My, my nose! She broke my nose! Cass…"

"That's not the only thing you should have broken! I'll deal with you later." She looked at Misty again and grabbed her arm. "C'mon you, the boss wishes to see you now, and try to do something with that shirt of yours."

It was torn nearly in two, and most of the buttons were gone, but as she looked back at Butch again she realized it was well worth it. _If only I had a knife I would've cut his nose off! And a few other things as well…_

"What an idiot, didn't even realize who you had to see…" Cassidy was still ranting on, while Misty wondered if she was jealous. "C'mon girl," She snarled, "They're all waiting for you."

"They?"

Cassidy opened the door and Misty couldn't help but be surprised at what she saw. She was expecting to meet 'the boss' alone but instead there was a small crowd of people including Jessie, James, and Meowth. They recognized her of course but she ignored them and went straight for the main head.

"What's the big idea bringing me here? If you let me go, I might be hesitant to kill you." She looked right into his eyes, showing him that she wasn't afraid, although on the inside she felt her body quivering.

Giovanni just smiled. "You got some nerve girl, coming to me with your demands, but I should assure you that I have no intention of killing you or keeping you."

Misty wanted to put her hands on her hips but she was still trying to cover up. "Well then? What do you want with me?"

Giovanni stepped to the side and revealed a small chair. "I just want to ask you a few questions now, I'm sure you won't mind." And just in case she did, most of the rocket members were beginning to surround her, guns drawn.

"I guess I have no choice then do I?"

* * *

><p>It was late in night when Ash and the others finally found the old building. Worn and ghastly looking, but still fully functional, they noticed all the lights were on—a sure sign that they were in there.<p>

"Well, now what?" May asked. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is for you all to stay here while I go and get Misty." As he expected, Ash got scolding looks for that.

"Are you crazy?" May yelled.

"Shh, May!" Brock warned.

"Sorry Brock but it has to be said, Ash you're nuts if you think you can just walk right in there all alone!" she said a bit more silently than before.

"I won't be alone, May, I got my pokemon! Besides it's easier this way—it would be harder to catch all of us if we aren't all together," Ash said, hoping they would listen to his reason.

"I don't know Ash, it still sounds risky," Dawn stepped in. "Maybe at least one of us should go in there with you, in case you need backup."

"I agree with Dawn, I perfectly understand your reasoning for not allowing us all in but at least let Brock or I go with you," Tracy suggested.

"I'd feel much better alone."

"Ash, if you're that stubborn to be the big hero at least take some of our pokemon with you," Brock recommended.

"No! If they get stolen…"

"Oh, Ash just think about it, the entire Rocket organization is going to be in there waiting for you to come. You can't take them all on by yourself! Just let us come with you—we can be the perfect distraction!" May said.

"In a different manner of speaking," Brock added, not wanting to be called a scapegoat, "we'll be helping you Ash, and the quicker you can get all those other Rocket members off you the faster you can save Misty."

Ash could feel his plan beginning to unravel. _Damn they can never agree with me._ He sighed. "Guys…listen, the truth is, I just want you all to be safe, and the only way I can be sure of that is if you guys just stay back and hidden. I don't want you all to…" He stopped himself, images of that dream he had flashed in front of his eyes, he was afraid of saying out loud that his friends could actually die here and it would be all his fault.

"Ash, I know how you feel," Dawn said, "You don't want us to die. But you have to understand, we don't want you to die either! You or Misty! We're here for a reason and it's because we want to help in any way we can, we don't want to be here on the sidelines—don't leave us out like that! Please…let us help you…"

Ash sighed again and ran his fingers through his hair. He could've sworn he was losing some. "Alright. Fine, you win. But let's just split up ok? And you guys got to promise not to die on me."

Everyone nodded.

_Damn, I'm such a sucker. Ha, ha, ha oh well, I guess knowing that I have friends around does put me in a good mood. _"Alright then, let's go save Misty!"

* * *

><p>A few minutes later found Misty sprawled out on the floor about to lose consciousness. She could hear sirens all around her, bright lights flashing before her eyes, pain surging through her body, and through all this she could only think of one person as her eyes closed.<p>

_Ash…. _

**An hour before…**

Misty sat in a chair facing her enemies, and although her body still held a little fear, she dare not show it.

"Alright now, Misty is it? I wish to ask you a few questions. If you give me good answers, I might think twice about killing you." Giovanni smiled.

_What's with everyone and that nasty smile? It's getting irritating!_

She folded her arms. "Depends on what you want to know."

Of course Giovanni isn't one to beat around the bush—he went straight to the point. "Well, I want you to tell me everything you know about Ash Ketchum."

Misty was taken aback by this. "You kidnap me just to ask me that? Why do you just invite Ash for coffee and ask him yourself?"

Giovanni became slightly annoyed by this, but instead of saying anything he motioned for one of his members to come over. "Not you, idiot!" He yelled at a tall skinny guy, "You with the box get over here and drop it."

"Yes sir!" He dropped it on the ground between Misty and Giovanni and it was then that Misty noticed there were pictures inside.

"Take a good look at these pictures, Misty," he gave her a handful, "recognize anyone?"

Misty gasped. _It's Ash and me! Not only us but Brock, Tracy, and this is May and Dawn!_ It started to click quickly now. "You…bastard! You've been spying on us—for years! These are old pictures!"

Giovanni smiled again. "Spying is such an ugly word…I call it more like investigating." Seeing Misty's disgust urged him to continue: "You see, that boy, Ash, has been one of my interests for years—ever since he beat my idiots Jessie and James with a Caterpie. We still laugh at that today."

Cassidy laughed, "Especially me."

"Oh shut up," Jessie retaliated, "it was a fluke and you know it!"

Cassidy was about to make a comeback when Giovanni began to speak again. "So you see I know everything about Ash—as an outside observer. I wish to know about him more now from the inside, and the only way I could do that is from an inside source, namely someone close to him—like you."

Misty attempted to hide her blush by turning away. "And what makes you think I'm closer to him than anyone else? We're just friends that's all."

"Oh really?" Giovanni showed her another picture, "I don't think friends can be this close and call each other friends, do you? Unless they're friends with benefits." The picture he showed was a random dinner from years back: Misty, Ash, and Brock were at a restaurant in a city—she forgot which—Brock was shown hitting on a waitress, and Ash and Misty were somehow sharing a plate, what she didn't notice then was that Ash's arm was around her. Or maybe she did notice but was afraid to say anything, who knows. But just seeing it made Misty's face get ten times redder.

"Hey that's private!" She tried to snatch it away but the boss was too fast, "What do you people take pictures of us sleeping too?"

"No. We never go that far I believe. But I do believe I've made my point, you are awfully close to Ash, more than anyone else. Therefore you fit perfectly and you must know a lot about Mr. Ketchum. Now, it shall be your job to tell us everything you know about him and leave nothing out."

"And what if I refuse?"

"I hope it should not come to that Miss Misty," Giovanni smiled, "But if that should happen we would have no choice but to kill you."

Now she had a choice: would she sell out her best friend for her own life or will she protect him no matter what? Ash had always been there for her, even when she didn't want him to. She couldn't help but think of him every day because he was such an influential part of her life. Could she really give that up? _If I tell them everything, who knows what they'll use it for, maybe even to kill him. That's the whole point right? This guy sees Ash as a threat, so he wants to eliminate him by exposing all his weaknesses! I can't be a part of that, even if I have to get hurt in the process I want to protect Ash._

"Well then Miss Misty? What is your decision?" Giovanni asked.

Misty sighed and shook her head. "No. I won't be a part of this, I won't betray Ash, so you can just kill me now and get it over with but I'm not telling you anymore."

Giovanni smiled; a part of him was hoping that she would say no—he loved torture. "Fine. Then it must be true then, you are Ash's boyfriend, at least you're in love with him, right?"

_Me in love with Ash? His girlfriend?_

She smiled, "Yes, I suppose I am."

Giovanni took a few steps backwards and turned to the men around him. "Strap her up." All at once Misty's hands were tied behind the chair, along with probes being poked and prodded into her—as if she was going to draw blood. The probes were connected to every spot of skin: the arms, legs, even her chest, only the forehead was empty.

"What is this?" She attempted to struggle through the rope, "What is this crap?"

"You see that machine behind you girl? You are currently connected it, and powering it is ten Pikachu, each with about one hundred thousand volts of electricity in their little bodies. All it takes is one flip of the switch, if you refuse to answer my question you shall receive a shock, and so it will continue until you do—each time getting stronger. I hate to put you through so much pain my dear, but you know you can change this and make it right. So I ask you again, for your sake only, will you tell me everything you know about Ash Ketchum?"

"No." Was Misty's simple answer.

Giovanni nodded and at the moment about a thousand volts shot through her body definitely causing her to rethink her decision, but although she felt pain she dare not show it—she thought of it has a sign of weakness—and didn't scream.

Just like that, it was over and Giovanni asked again. "I'm afraid this is only the beginning for you, Misty, but you can change this you know. All you have to do is tell me about Ash."

Again Misty's answer was no, and again electricity went through her body—she still didn't scream but began to flinch.

She had let go of the breath she was holding. Misty had been repeatedly shocked for the past twenty minutes now, and Giovanni was right, each shock was getting steadily stronger. She didn't give up, because she knew it would only be a matter of time before Ash would come to save her.

_On his white Pidgeot_…She smiled. Giovanni on the other hand, was visibly getting irritated. His strained expression wore on his face like an old dirty shirt. He sat a chair in front of her, but turned it around so the back of it would be facing Misty.

He crossed his arms: "My dear I'm afraid this is getting old, I'm tired of you avoiding my question! It's really very simple dear, why are you risking your life like this—and for a worthless kid who would sell you out in a second!" He rubbed his fingers through his hair.

"I'm afraid you don't know Ash like I do," Misty answered. "Ash would never betray me."

"Oh, please woman! Ash is a man, and like all men he is a dog! I don't know if you ever learned that in your younger years, but let this be a lesson to you, all men are scoundrels who care about nothing besides themselves and will do anything to get what they want—especially out of a pretty little thing like you. Ash has been using you, can't you see that? He's not coming for you, he wants to save himself, and he'll only use you as a sacrifice. Now, why don't you save your own life and tell me about him! Just tell me his habits, his battle strategies, anything you can would help me. C'mon stop to think about yourself, are you sure you want to this?" Giovanni was sweating and getting desperate with each passing moment. It was only a matter of time before midnight came—he knew that Ash would come but wanted to break Misty's will first so she would betray him. Unfortunately he underestimated the young girl, who truly had an infatuation with him and would never turn her back on him.

Misty was getting tired, and didn't know how much more she could take. She saw her skin getting darker, like bad sunburn. _I'm sorry Ash…maybe I'm not as strong as I thought I was…_

She looked back on her life: her sisters teasing and torture, her life with her friends, her life as a gym leader…she had a good life all in all. _I may have not been the best sister, or the best friend, but I know I tried my hardest—I put everything into everything I've done—and that's all I ever wanted._

She motioned for Giovanni to come closer. He smiled, proud of himself: "So you've finally come to your senses huh? Good, now tell me everything." Misty looked deep into his eyes, smiled, then spit in his face.

"Aahh! You bitch!"

"Aw hell no!" Butch, still recovering from his broken nose, pulled out his gun and was about to shoot.

"No!" Cassidy pushed his arm down just as he pulled the trigger.

"Aaaahhhh!" Misty screamed. She had been shot in her right foot.

"Oh, now she screams, what the hell?" Butch yelled at Cassidy.

"You can't kill her idiot! The boss still needs her!" Cassidy retaliated, "You and your stupid emotions!"

"Well, I have a right to be emotional! The bitch broke my nose!" Butch yelled back.

"Enough!" Giovanni snarled. "You've crossed the line, girl, you have no intension of telling me anything do you?"

Misty weakly shook her head. "You'll never understand my Ash," she smiled, "What's the point of telling you anything? So go ahead and kill me, I've made my resolve and I'm happy to die this way."

Giovanni sighed, finally giving up. _I should've kidnapped one of the weaker girls…oh well, Ash is still dead. _"Fine, then you shall die here. I wonder what Ash would look like when I tell him you're dead? He'll be devastated." He laughed, "Don't worry, Miss Misty, I'll be sure to make sure that he joins you in the afterlife."

He nodded, and once again the volts of electricity went straight through her_. I wonder if this is how Ash feels when he gets shocked_, she inwardly laughed. She realized the shocks weren't stopping and knew this must be the end. _In the end I die happy, Giovanni still didn't get what he wanted, and in this way I win. _She began to laugh outwardly now, feeling herself beginning to go insane. _I win! I win! I won Ash, I won! You always made sure that nothing hurt me, and now I'm doing to same for you. It's well worth it, it's all well worth it._

James and Jessie couldn't help but be appalled by what they were witnessing. "Boss this is too much!" Jessie cried, "Just her die slowly don't do her like this!"

"Aw, come on Jessie," Cassidy teased, "Don't tell me you're getting all emotional too."

Jessie was about to speak back but she was stopped by the sound of the sirens. "Stop now!" Giovanni yelled.

Misty was breathing slowly, but hadn't lost consciousness yet. "Looks like our little visitor has arrived, let's go!"

Giovanni had rushed everyone out, but not before telling Misty one last thing. "Looks like you and your lover will both die together," he smiled, "at least you can be happy about that." He gave her a hard slap across the face, making her fall to the ground with the chair still attached.

As he left, Misty found herself unable to stay awake. _Well, Ash, I suppose I'll see you on the other side. Just kill Giovanni before you go. _She heard the sirens all around her, the bright red lights flashing in her eyes, her body still in pain, and yet she could still think of only one person as her eyes closed.

_Ash…_

* * *

><p>Fourteen pages later I breathe again! That was harder than I thought but I really am proud of this one. The title of this chapter was once the title of this story, named after a Japanese song called Gravity which was sung by Maaya Sakamoto. For all you anime fans it was one of the endings for Wolf's Rain and I love hearing it. Anyway I decided to change the main title but this chapter was mostly inspired by that song. Anyways hope you all enjoyed it be sure to let me know what you think of it.<p>

Until next time...


	16. Chapter 16: Unresolved Emotions

Another chapter is here! Time to celebrate! I think that this was my longest chapter because it has so many things happening in it, but once it reached thirty pages I knew I had to stop it eventually. So this chapter is a two parter! Enjoy!

Disclamer: I don't own Pokemon, just a few characters here and there.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Unresolved Emotions<strong>

Sirens had rung all throughout the old Team Rocket headquarters but Ash and the others had split up long before. As far as Ash knew, May and Dawn went one way, Brock and Tracy went another, and he went straight ahead—right for Giovanni.

_Damn him, I promise I'm going to make him pay for this! Just hang in there Misty…_

Ash and his beloved Quilava had gone through every floor, beating every Rocket they saw along the way.

"I'm proud of you, buddy, keep it up!"

Quilava replied happily in response. After what seemed like a million battles, Ash and Quilava finally made it to the fourth floor, and ran into Giovanni in the first room.

"You!"

"Well I see you made it, welcome to my small arena," Giovanni said. The arena was small it seemed more like a practicing room. There were bleachers on every wall, a balcony to look from, and a small booth straight ahead. "It's just the two of us. You were wise not to bring your friends I wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"That's bull and you know it! Where's Misty?" Ash yelled, already losing his patience.

"So quick to the point Ash? You should take things easy and try not to overexert yourself. Besides, you'll get to see her soon enough."

"Damn it, I'm sick of you! Listen to me now, I'm only going to ask you one more time where Misty is, otherwise I'll come over there and kick your teeth in so hard they'll pierce your brain and come out on the other side! Now, tell me where Misty is you sick twisted ass!"

Giovanni never thought Ash would lose his temper that quickly. "You're in such a rush, have you forgotten about our match? Besides…Misty is dead."

Ash's eyes widened and he could've sworn his knees buckled. "Wha—what?"

"She's dead, Ash, I killed her just before you came. Such a shame, if only you would've been here about five minutes earlier, you both could've died together. It's so sad to see a lover go without you isn't it?"

Ash was completely motionless. "You're lying." His voice calmed down a little, "There's no way she's dead."

"Fine Ash, don't believe me, you'll just have to beat me in a match and go and see yourself."

"Fine you're on!" Ash held up a pokeball.

Giovanni laughed, "Is a one-on-one match ok with you?"

Ash became more determined than ever, "Its fine by me." _I have to calm down if I want to stand any chance of winning this. The faster I get this over with, the faster I can go and see Misty._

"Good then let's do this! I choose you, Graveler!"

"Hmm, a rock type, huh? In that case, I choose you, Kingler!"

Both pokemon came out raring to go.

"Well, then I guess we better get started then, let's go Graveler, and show them how things are supposed to go around us," Giovanni said confidently.

Ash retaliated, "Let's show them what we're made of Kingler!" Ash couldn't help but be a little excited after all he hadn't used Kingler in years and wanted to see his progress.

Graveler came forward first with his tackle attack.

_Wow, Graveler's fast! _Ash thought.

Luckily Kingler got out of the way. "Counter with bubble beam!" A string of bubbles jetted out of Kingler's claw and hit Graveler with full force, even sending it back a few feet.

"You're Kingler is strong but not strong enough, rollout!" Giovanni commanded.

Graveler's full speed had kicked in again as it headed straight for Kingler like a spinning cannonball_._

_I'm not sure if Kingler can handle Graveler's good speed. Just in case…_ "Get out of there Kingler!" Once Kingler dodged again Ash commanded, "Use crabhammer attack!"

"Rollout once more," Giovanni said, knowing he had Kingler beat. Now Kingler had no choice: it was crabhammer vs. rollout.

"Kingler!" Ash yelled.

Both had hit at full force, but rollout won in the end, and Kingler was sent flying. "Kingler hang in there," Ash spoke nervously. Kingler crashed to the ground hard and was struggling to get up but was able to thanks to Ash and Quilava's encouragement.

Giovanni smiled, figuring out Kingler's weakness. _Poor kid is no match for my speed, ha ha ha!_

"Rollout one more time!" Giovanni commanded.

Graveler's speed was relentless, and Ash knew his Kingler might not have much left. He gritted his teeth, "Kingler, hyper beam!" This is when Kingler had surprised Ash: Kingler jumped, knowing he wouldn't be able to counter rollout directly, and struck Graveler from behind with its attack.

"Graveler no!" The hyper beam was so strong; it hit with full force and sent Graveler straight into the wall. Whether it was the full force of the attack or the run into the wall afterwards, Graveler was down for the count.

"That's it, Giovanni! You lose, and that means you have to tell me where Misty is," Ash said confidently.

Giovanni laughed as he returned his Graveler. "You're pretty good, boy! Too good for me. Well I already told you the girl is dead, but since you're so persistent: she is on the final floor of this building, and I suggest you hurry and find her, you don't have much time."

At this point a helicopter was seen from the side window and Giovanni rushed for it. While climbing out he said: "In fact you have about five minutes." He pulled a remote control out of his pocket and pushed a button. At that instant, Ash felt an explosion from the other side of the building.

"What the—?" Ash tried to brace himself to keep from falling.

He heard Giovanni's sick laugh again, "Good luck, Mr. Ketchum!" And with that, he left for safety on his fancy helicopter, leaving Ash to his doom.

"I don't believe this!" Ash returned Kingler and Quilava. "You guys did a good job, now I've got to find the others."

Meanwhile the others, who had also heard and felt the explosion, were scrambling to find each other.

"There they are!" Dawn yelled, and her and May ran towards Brock and Tracy. "Are you guys ok?"

"We were just about to ask you that," Tracy said. "All the Rocket members left, and we think Ash went this way, up these stairs. As the girls were following Tracy and Brock up the steps another explosion was felt, so close this time that the impact nearly sent May spiraling down.

"May!" Dawn yelled, grabbing her hand just in time. Brock grabbed Dawn's hand and pulled them both up, "Hang in there you two!" They climbed the rest of the stairs and immediately saw Ash on his way down.

"Oh thank goodness I found you all! Are you all alright?" He asked.

"We're fine, where's Misty?" Brock asked.

"She's up on the last floor, I got to get her, but guys leave without us."

"What?" Tracy protested, "We can't just leave you two!"

Ash didn't want to explain so made the short version, "Look Giovanni set off bombs in this place, and it's not safe for all of us to be here! Trust me we'll be fine, just get out of here and leave the rest to me!" Before anyone could protest again, Ash sped off as quickly as he could down the hallway.

"What do we do? Should we leave?" May asked.

"I think Ash is right, there's no time for all of us to follow him we should just trust his instinct and go." Brock suggested.

Tracy sighed, "I guess you're right, besides we couldn't find him anyway even if we wanted to."

So everyone ran back down the steps and out the building, right before another bomb exploded. "Be careful Ash…" Dawn whispered.

As Ash rushed up the steps a thousand things rushed through his mind. _Is Misty really alright? Is she really dead? How are we going to get out of here? Will I find her in time? What if she really is dead, what will I do then? _Tears came to his eyes_. _

_No, I can't think about that! Misty is alive as long as I believe it, she wouldn't want me to give up on her._

He finally gotten up to the last floor, and searched every room frantically. "Misty! Misty can you hear me? Misty!" Every door seemed to lead to an empty room, which made him all the more nervous. _Damn, she's got to be around here somewhere... _"Misty!" he screamed again. He opened another door. _Damn, empty._ He closed the door and continued running, but when he got a few feet away a bomb that was in that room had exploded. He screamed, being knocked forward about ten feet.

He stood up still shaking a little; confused and disoriented he opened the door in front of him. "Misty…?" He looked around, squinted through the fading light, and when a light bulb flickered his eyes caught a familiar figure.

"Misty!" He ran to her, but as he attempted to turn her around he was slightly shocked on the hand. _Ow…electricity? _He untied her from the chair and turned her around.

"Oh God, Misty…what did they do to you?" She was bruised from head to toe, her shirt torn open, bleeding from a wound in her foot, and she was barely breathing. "What should I do? She'll die if I just sit here! Misty, Misty you got to wake up!" He began shaking her a little with no effect. "Misty please wake up! Please you can't—don't do this to me—Misty!"

_C'mon Ash, think! You've got to think of something!_ Just when he thought he could do nothing, Misty miraculously began to awaken. "Misty?"

She stirred, and then slowly opened her eyes. "Ash?" She smiled, "You must be my angel."

Ash only shook his head. "I'm no angel, it's really me Misty, you're still alive." He wanted to cry but held back his tears.

"I'm so glad," Misty weakly said, "I knew you would come, I never lost hope."

Ash smiled back, "Don't ever give up on me, Misty, I will always come for you."

At that moment, Ash felt another bomb exploding. "That's right we got to get out of here!" He held up a pokeball. "Let's go Pidgeot!" The giant bird came out stretching its wings. "Pidgeot please, takes us out of here before the whole place goes down!"

Outside, everyone else was nervously waiting for Ash and Misty to come out. They flinched as another bomb exploded, this time taking out over half of the building.

"They're taking too long," Brock expressed his nervousness.

"But what can we do?" Dawn asked, "All we can do is wait." Everyone was afraid to say out loud whether Ash had actually found Misty, or whether they would make it out in time.

Just then the final bomb exploded, this time taking out the top of the building, leaving it to cause the entire building to collapse.

"No! Ash! Misty!" everyone screamed. Then that's when they saw it: a huge bird flying out from the top of the building.

"Look there," Tracy pointed, "Its Pidgeot!" Sure enough Pidgeot came down to meet the others with Ash holding Misty on top.

"Hey guys, miss us?" Ash replied.

"Ash, you jerk, you worried us half to death!" May yelled.

"Don't worry May you can yell at me later, for right now we have to find a good spot to hide."

Tracy looked on his pokegear for a location. "There's a cave not too far from here," he exclaimed.

"Good take us there, Tracy," Ash said weakly.

They all followed Tracy and headed straight into the cave, just as it began to rain.

"Wow, what perfect timing," Dawn observed as the rain began to fall heavily.

Ash sat Misty on the ground, still trying to catch his breath, "May, Dawn, I need your help."

"What is it, Ash?" May asked.

"Could you both treat Misty's wounds for me? And could you look for any other ones?" He asked.

"Sure, Ash," Dawn and May agreed.

"Here guys, take this," Brock had handed them a first aid kit, "come on let me show you how to treat them." He led everyone in the back while Ash once again carried Misty's body. After Brock demonstrated a few times, the boys came back out toward the front of the cave. Tracy noticed Ash was near collapsing.

"Ash, are you ok?" He asked.

Ash was sitting on the ground, his knees hugged up to him and his head resting on them. He sighed, "No, I'm not ok, Trace," Ash said weakly, "I guess this whole night really took it out of me."

Brock smiled and patted him on the back. "Hang in there, buddy, I'll fix you something to eat."

Brock started a fire. "I'm not really hungry," Ash said, surprising Brock and Tracy.

"Are you sure Ash?" Tracy asked, wanting to be sure, "You had a really long night."

Ash sighed and looked at the rain; "I really don't deserve to eat." Tracy and Brock looked at each other and knew something was eating him.

"Ash…" Tracy began, but was cut off.

He only shook his head, "I don't really want to talk about it guys."

Brock began to fix stew and said, "It would help all of us if you did talk about it, Ash. What happened up there? Did you fight Giovanni?"

Ash slowly nodded.

"Well? You beat him didn't you?" Tracy asked next.

Ash just nodded again.

"Then what happened?" Tracy asked him and Brock never taking their eyes off him.

Ash looked at the rain for a minute, and then slowly looked at Brock and Tracy, finally revealing his tears.

"He told me Misty was dead."

He saw their eyes widen.

"But she's not dead, Ash, she's right back there, and she's going to be fine," Tracy said, trying to calm him.

"I know, Trace, I know she's alive, but…I guess that's what scared me so much—just the thought of her dead, I couldn't—I…" he trailed off, shaking lightly.

Brock stirred his stew, "Ash…you're blaming yourself for this aren't you?" This took Tracy by surprise, who looked at Brock and then at Ash's tear-stained face.

"I can't help it Brock," Ash said, "She wouldn't have been in this if it weren't for me. She might not be so hurt if I wasn't so careless."

"How on earth were you careless, Ash? You did everything right, it was Team Rocket who did wrong." Tracy protested.

Ash only shook his head again, "No…I did this, and I bet Misty will hate me or at least have contempt for me after this."

Brock was proud of his quick work and poured Ash a bowl. "Ash, listen to me. There is no way this is your fault. It's like Tracy said, you did everything in your power—you even got Misty out of an exploding building! You saved her life and now you hate yourself for it? Ash, I'm sure Misty believes in you and trusts you more than anyone else, I highly doubt she could ever hate you or have contempt for you."

"How could she not!" Ash said sadly, rejecting the bowl for the third time, "She got into this mess because Team Rocket was trying to get to me in the first place! She might not say it out loud but maybe she truly does hate me."

"Well, I guess it kind of makes sense," Tracy interjected, "especially if something else came up."

"Something like what?" Ash asked, making Tracy jump in surprise.

"Huh? Oh nothing, I was just thinking out loud, forget I said that." Tracy looked away nervously.

"Thinking about what?" Ash pressed on, "What else do you think happened?"

"Nothing! It's nothing, really, I was just thinking about how men in power always like to show their power, that's all! Just forget it, Ash." Tracy was beginning to see no way out of this.

Ash was beginning to think deeply for once, and began to put things together: "You mean men who like to show their strength against helpless, defenseless women like Misty?" Ash shook harder, his eyes widening in fear, "Her shirt was torn open, almost as if…she was—she was…"

"Hey hold on a second!" Tracy cut him off, "That's not what I was implying! I didn't say anything like that!"

"But you were thinking it weren't you?" Ash looked at him again.

Tracy grew nervous, never seeing Ash looking so scared. "A-Ash…"

"What if that really did happen…?" Ash stared towards the ground, "And I wasn't there…she needed me and I wasn't there! I wasn't there for her!"

"Ash listen, remember your basing yourself on a 'what if' here! This might not have happened!" Brock tried to reassure him.

"It 'might not have happened'? So you thought about it too, Brock?" Ash asked his face shrouded in fear.

Brock mentally cursed himself, "No, no that's not what I meant! It didn't happen—it couldn't have happened!"

Ash began to cry out, "How could it not have happened? Misty has been taken advantage of in the worst way!" Then it dawned upon him: "My god…what if she's…pregnant?" He whispered. "She's going to have a child by one of those, sick, twisted bastards!"

"Ash calm down, you're jumping to conclusions! This didn't happen and Misty's not pregnant!" Tracy said.

"I-I-I need a drink," Ash got up, went in Brock's bag, and pulled out his stash of liquor.

"Hey how did you find out about that? Hey!" Brock was shocked that Ash would become this way, and taking his most prized sake in the process!

The sake seemed to calm Ash down a little however, and stopped to think a little more. "Ok…maybe you're right, maybe Misty wasn't…well you know…but just in case that did happen, I want to be there for her. I want to protect her and make sure nothing happens to her. And if she is pregnant…then I want to help her take care of it, I'll treat that child as my own, it's the least I can do, right?"

Tracy and Brock nodded.

"I know this is my fault, whether you guys believe me or not, and I want to correct this wrong and fix my mistakes. No one can ever tell me I was just sitting here!" He capped the sake and put it back in the bag, then went in the back to where the girls were.

"This is your fault you know," Brock told Tracy.

Tracy sighed, "I was just speaking out aloud I didn't think it would go that far. I guess Ash thinks well when he's depressed."

After much convincing from Brock and the others, Ash finally ate Brock's stew, and planned to stay by Misty for the rest of the night.

He had been sitting and watching over her for about four hours now, and although he was dead tired, he didn't want to go to go sleep because Misty had a fever. He put a towel in water, rung it out, and placed it back on her head.

_Hmmm, her fever might be going down too slow, I wish there was something else I could do. _He sighed and touched her cheek. It was warm still but less warm as before. _Please, Misty, let your fever go down, please…_

He didn't know much else to do, until all of a sudden Misty started fighting in her sleep.

"Hey, hey," he whispered to her, holding her down, "It's ok…shhh…it's ok now…" Ash whispered in her ear. "I'm here, I'm here don't worry," he rubbed her shoulders, trying anxiously to calm her down. He didn't realize that Dawn had awoken, and was silently watching the whole scene.

_Poor Ash, he's been up all night taking care of her_. She smiled. _Maybe he really does like her._

Misty slowly opened her eyes. "Ash?" Ash froze at first, not expecting her to wake when he was this close.

"M-Misty!" He whispered, "Thank goodness, I was so worried."

Misty could barely speak, due to still being weak and groggy: "Ash…I'm so sorry…I knew you would come, but I just couldn't—I couldn't…" She had begun to cry. "

No, no, Misty please don't, don't cry please. It's not your fault, honey, I know it isn't. You tried your hardest I know you did, please don't blame yourself." Ash was close to cry again just from hearing her, but blinked back his tears, smiled and wiped Misty's away.

"Ash…I…"

Ash stopped her again, "Misty it's ok, don't speak, you need your rest ok? Just go back to sleep." Misty slowly nodded and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes of watching her face, Ash leaned back on the wall he was sitting next to. _Damn it, I hate to see Misty go through this._ He closed his eyes, but then realized he could fall asleep if that happened so he settled for just sitting next to her. He ran his fingers through his hair, and prayed for the sun to come up soon.

_Misty…_

* * *

><p>"Ash! Ash wake up!" Dawn yelled happily, shaking him awake.<p>

Ash rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "What is it Dawn? Is Misty ok?"

Dawn nodded, "She's holding your hand." Ash was surprised to see Misty sitting up next to him holding his hand.

She smiled at him, "Morning, Ash." Misty was still weak for the most part, but at least her fever had gone completely down.

Ash looked away, attempting to hide his blush, "Morning, Mist." Everyone laughed, obviously noticing.

"See Ash, you were worried all for nothing, I told you Misty was going to be fine," Tracy laughed.

Ash smiled a little. "Yeah," he replied.

Ash squeezed Misty's hand and looked at her. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Misty smiled back, "How could I not be? You're here…"

Ash nodded then stood up and stretched, "Well, I'm really glad you're ok, Misty," he turned around, "I'm going for a walk."

Misty was surprised a little by this, "Ash, what about you? Are _you_ ok?" Ash turned around and looked in Misty's eyes. It was like she was pleading him not to go.

"I-I can't, I mean don't worry I'll be back in a few minutes." He turned back around and left the cave.

"Misty, are you hungry? I'll fix you something to eat," Brock said, getting out a pot.

Misty sighed, and then looked at Dawn, "He looks like he's been up all night."

"That's because he has," Dawn explained, "You had a really bad fever, he volunteered to watch over you."

Misty widened her eyes, "Really?"

She heard May giggle, "He wouldn't let anyone else touch you."

Misty looked back at the entrance and sighed again. "He's not blaming himself for all of this, is he?" Everyone looked down, afraid to say the answer but making it clear to Misty that he has.

A few minutes later Ash came back in and sat back down next to Misty. "What?" he asked at her concerned look.

"Ash…" she stopped, not knowing what to say.

"What is it? You're not in any pain are you?"

_Is that…fear in his eyes?_ "No, I was just wondering if, you are really ok. Maybe you should get some sleep you don't look so good." Misty suggested.

Ash only shook his head, "I'm fine Misty, don't worry, just focus on taking care of yourself ok?" Misty couldn't protest; all she could do was nod.

* * *

><p>Ash was outside once again after breakfast, trying to make some sense out of the map he was reading. Due to lack of sleep, it seemed like the words were beginning to bunch together.<p>

"Ash?"

Ash turned around to see Brock behind him. "Wow, Misty was right you really don't look well. C'mon let me take over that and I'll lead the way until you fully recover."

Ash protested, "What are you talking about Brock? I am—he stopped to yawn—fine." Well, he almost had Brock convinced. He gave Brock the map and went back in the cave.

"Hey Misty take it easy," Dawn said. May and her were supporting Misty up, who was trying to stand.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"We got a problem, Misty can't walk." Tracy explained.

"Oh, I see," he replied. Ash had forgotten all about her foot. Even though May managed to get the bullet out, it would still be a while before she recovered fully.

Misty sighed. "I'm sorry I'm holding everyone back."

"Don't be silly, Misty you haven't done anything wrong."

"Ash is right," Dawn agreed, "Don't you worry one bit." Misty smiled, but still concerned over the situation.

"Well, now what?" Brock asked, "We can't stay here for very long."

Ash thought to himself then smiled, "Misty, I got the perfect idea!"

About a few minutes later Ash and the others were walking down the path Brock had mapped out for them. Misty whined again.

"Now what's up? Are you getting a headache? Is your fever coming back?"

"No, Ash…"

"Then what's wrong?"

"Well…everyone is staring at us…"

"Huh?" Ash turned around to find out Misty was right, the others had been staring, whispering and laughing for the past half hour; but there was a good reason—Misty was riding piggyback on Ash, and it was a nice scene to look at.

"So let them stare." Ash smiled. He couldn't help but love Misty this close to him. "This is the only way, unless you want Brock or Tracy to carry you." _Like hell I'll let them carry you, especially perverted Brock._

He was relieved when he felt Misty shake her head but she spoke again: "It's not that I don't like you carrying me, I mean I know it's the only way and all, but…aren't you tired? You still haven't gotten any sleep and…"

"There you go, worrying about me again, when you should be concerned with yourself." Ash did like the fact that she was worried about him though.

Misty pouted, "I can't help it you've done so much for me—"

"Don't you deserve it?" Ash felt Misty's head snuggle against his shoulder.

"You're too sweet," she said.

"Someone has to," he replied back. Ash couldn't help but think about last night, how she struggled in her sleep three times, how he was so worried about her fever, and the dream he had about her being pregnant_. I guess the good part about that dream was how beautiful she looked. But it hurt so much that she was having a baby for someone else._ "Misty, you sure you aren't hurting anywhere else besides your foot?"

Misty smiled, "Ash you asked me that question already."

"I-I'm just making sure…"

"Yes Ash, my foot is the only thing that hurts."

"Are you sure?"

"Ash!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I'm just worried that's all."

It was at this that Misty couldn't help but be suspicious, "Ash, just what exactly are you nervous for?"

Ash tried his best to respond, "Well I—I just think that…that you might be…suffering from internal injuries, so I'm just wondering." _Good thing she can't see my face when I lie to her._ Misty didn't quite accept this but had no choice.

"Well, ok…I assure you that I'm fine."

Ash smiled. _My sweet beautiful little Misty, please, please don't let my thoughts be true. I don't want your entire life to be ruined because of me_. After a while Ash could tell that Misty felt uncomfortable about the constant snickering in the background, so he made Misty laugh by talking about May and Dawn without their knowing. Their irritated looks made Misty laugh even harder. When he was satisfied by hearing her laugh a few times fatigue did finally start to set in, and he suggested a place to rest. They found an empty hill not too far from the river and it was there that Brock decided to cook lunch. Ash had set Misty under a tree and he was right next to her.

Misty was going crazy by how Ash was so deep in thought; it was weird to see him so quiet.

"Ash?"

"Hmm?" he answered.

She hugged her knees up to her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Don't give me that. You're thinking about something."

"I'm not thinking about anything."

"Then you're depressed."

"No I'm not."

"Well there's something bugging you!" Misty was getting irritated.

"There's nothing bugging me!" Ash yelled.

"Ash!" Misty yelled this a little too loudly, and caused everyone to look at them, but Misty was already so embarrassed she didn't care.

Ash finally turned his head to look at her. "Misty…" He held a solemn look in his eyes.

"Ash, you're scaring me, you really don't look so good."

Ash ignored her comment and looked back down at the ground.

"Ash look at me," She got fed up at being ignored for the second time and pulled his face by the chin to look at him. "Ash," she whispered, "you're worried about Pikachu again are you?"

"I—I—" he had trouble looking in her eyes, "I'm worried about you." He finally whispered out.

"About me?" she asked.

Ash nodded.

"Why?"

Ash pulled his face away from hers. "I-I just…" Ash rested his chin on his hand. "Misty, this is killing me, I've been wanting to ask you something, but I've been trying to decide whether it's appropriate or not."

"Well, you won't know unless you ask." She smiled.

_Damn that smile. _He sighed. "Misty…about what happened that night…did anyone—that you know of—did anyone…well, you know, try to—to have their way with you?" He could see Misty's bright eyes turn dark and he felt he already knew his answer. "I knew it, someone did rape you didn't they? Well, you don't have to worry 'bout a thing, Misty, I'll take care of you—I'll protect you! You don't ever have to worry about this again!"

Misty tried to but in, "But—"

"Don't you worry anymore Misty, I'll protect you with everything I have, even my life I promise you that!" Ash held her hands in his.

"Wait—"

"And Misty I know it might be too early to think about it now, but if you happen to be—well, you know, pregnant and all—I promise that I'll treat that child like my own. Like I said you don't have to worry anymore."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Misty pulled her hands away. "Ash, you got to know something—and don't interrupt me! I'm not pregnant. I'm not pregnant because nothing happened to me. I wasn't raped Ash."

Ash eyes widened, and he was seconds away from flooding with embarrassment. "But—but your shirt, it was torn—"

"It was torn because Butch tried to do something to me, but let's just say he's going to be breathing out of his mouth for a while." She laughed.

"So—so you weren't—"

Misty shook her head.

"And…and you're not—"

Misty shook her head again.

Misty smiled, seeing Ash the happiest he's been all day. "Yes! This is great! I'm so happy—for you!" He laughed. "I was so sure, especially after all that apologizing."

Misty laughed with him, "Ash I was apologizing because I was hurt, and you were forced to take care of me. I just felt bad." She touched his hands again, "You idiot, always jumping to conclusions! Where did you get this idea anyway?"

"Well, umm…" He stole a glance at Tracy.

"Tracy?"

"I'm sorry Misty, he took it out of context, and I never meant it that way." Tracy explained.

"Oh well it doesn't matter anyway, as long as things are cleared up now," Brock added.

"Ash," Misty began, "did you really mean what you said? About you protecting me and taking care of my baby?"

Ash answered back, "I meant it with all of my heart."

"Awww…" The girls teased. Ash laughed. Misty never smiled brighter.


	17. Chapter 17: Unresolved Emotions part 2

Here's the second part. It feels a bit weird because I still think of this chapter as one instead of two, but I think I split it at the right time. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: Unresolved Emotions part 2<strong>

Misty opened her eyes.

_Wow I didn't know I had fallen asleep._ As she wiped the sleep out of her eyes she immediately noticed two things: one it was nighttime, which really scared her, but the other thing that seemed to calm her down was that Ash was sleeping right on her shoulder. Ash had been sneaking off late at night to think for the past week now, but seeing him with her instead made her feel really special—unless he had crashed and forgot to wake up again. She shook him a little.

"Ash?"

She was surprised by how quickly he woke up.

"Hmm Misty? What's wrong, are you in pain?" he asked.

Misty smiled again at Ash's selflessness. "No, Ash," she shook her head, "it's just we've been asleep for a while so I was wondering if you're ok."

Ash was still very drowsy, and couldn't keep his eyes open, "I'm fine Mist."

"Ok, good." She had nothing else to do but to lean back on the tree since everyone else was asleep as well.

"Mist," she heard Ash whisper, "I'm really glad you're ok. You don't know just how worried I was about you, but don't worry my main goal is to keep you with me for a while."

Misty didn't truly know what to say, "Ash, no one has ever said that before, or has ever been as sweet to me as you are—even you have never treated me this good."

Ash mumbled out a bunch of words but Misty managed to make out, "Anything for you, Misty."

Misty's heart jumped for joy. There was no denying it now: she was truly in love with him.

* * *

><p>"Aw, do we have to wake them up?" May asked.<p>

Dawn giggled, "They look so comfortable," she added.

"Yeah, but we have to guys, we can't stay here all day," Brock said.

"Don't worry girls, I managed to take a few sketches of them this morning," Tracy reassured them.

Overnight somehow, Ash had ended up in Misty's lap. Her head was down and her arms wrapped around him, like a mother comforting her son. It was a cute little picture, so cute that Tracy was fortunate enough to wake up earlier than usual and made a sketch of them—but somehow things had always worked out that way for the tricky young artist.

"Ash, Misty come on you two wake up." Brock shook Misty.

"Huh? What is it?" She slowly raised her head to look at him.

"Breakfast is ready!" Dawn cheered.

This was when Ash woke. "What? Who said something about breakfast?"

Brock just laughed. "Come on you two, we got to get a move on soon."

Ash and Misty noticed the positions they were in and became a bit embarrassed, but somehow not as much as they should have been.

* * *

><p>Ash and Misty were a little saddened by the fact that they had slept the whole day away yesterday, but after much convincing that they needed the rest, they all happily set out again. Ash was still carrying Misty, her foot healing but not well enough for her to walk on her own, Brock still leading the way, and the others trailing behind.<p>

"So Tracy, do you always take sketches of Ash and Misty like you did this morning?" Dawn whispered.

Tracy was visibly nervous, not expecting this question. "Um, well…"

"I bet he does!" May concluded, "But they don't know about it, do they Tracy? Tell you what, you show us your drawings and we won't tell anyone about it."

Tracy considered for a moment. "Hm, well, I guess it can't really hurt, as long as you don't tell them about it."

"Alright!" May said happily, "Now, tell us, how long have you been sneaking around doing this?"

"Well let's see…I guess since a few months after I met them." Tracy replied. "You know, when I first met them, I thought they really were a couple. I asked them but they only scolded me and called me crazy." Tracy laughed.

"So I guess you think that they really would make a good couple?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, yeah, in fact I think that if I would've spent just a little bit more time with them, then I would've for sure gotten them together." Tracy said confidently.

"Really?" May asked.

Both girls sounded impressed as Tracy nodded. "Yeah, I'll never understand them, even after all these years, but if you ask me I say it's only a matter of time."

Meanwhile Ash, still carrying Misty, was further up front with Brock. "I wonder what they're talking about back there…" Ash wondered out loud.

"Hey I got an idea," Misty suggested, "Brock, go back there and see what they are saying."

Brock looked up from his map. "Misty, you want me to spy on them?"

Misty laughed, "Spying is such an ugly word, more like, ummm…"

"Solving a mystery!" Ash added.

"That's right! You'd be helping us a great deal if you can solve our mystery for us," She agreed.

"Hmm, seems more like you're spying to me…" Brock observed, but Ash broke him from his thought.

"Hey that's not what I said when you followed that Nurse Joy to the bathroom—"

"Hey, that's completely different! And you promised not to say that to anyone!"

"But I didn't," Ash smiled, "Misty just happened to overhear—I guess you can say she was spying—"

"Aww, shut up," Brock pouted and walked back the way he came toward Tracy and the others.

"I knew that would work." Ash laughed.

Misty was the opposite however, "I just want to get that image out of my head I knew Brock was desperate but I didn't know he was a pervert."

"Misty, there are a lot of things you don't know very well about Brock. One is that he's a pervert, he became one once it became just the two of us, which I think came from his desperation," he replied.

Misty looked at him. "What's the other one?"

Ash held a confident smile, "Do you really want to know?"

Misty just shook her head, "You're right, I don't want to know."

A few minutes later Brock had came back up with Ash and Misty. "Well? What did you find out?" Ash asked.

"Well, I can't really say," he replied back.

"What do you mean you can't say anything!" Brock flinched as Misty began to yell in him.

"Misty, yell at me all you want, you can't do anything to make me talk, besides you're on Ash," Brock said.

"Oh really? You think that would stop me?" All of a sudden Misty brought out her mallet and began swinging—or at least attempting to—she was still trying to hold on to Ash.

"Hey, watch it!" Ash yelled, attempting to calm Misty down and hold her steady proved to be a bit of a problem but he finally managed to do it. Afterwards he asked Brock, "What do you mean you can't say anything, Brock, what about the mystery! I want to know who did it!"

Brock just laughed. "It's simple elementary my dear Ash!"

"Elementary?"

"I'll show him elementary." Misty warned, proving that she still prove to be formidable—even with one foot and riding piggyback on Ash.

Ash just laughed it off, finally dismissing it all and concluding that they had to all be talking about him and Misty.

_Well, I guess we have been a popular topic for conversation these past few weeks. I mean, we haven't fought in a while, we always seem to be together, and a couple of times we even stayed up for most of the night talking—I think someone noticed one night or another. But while it's true that I can no longer deny my feelings for Misty like I used to, I could still never tell her—after all, how would I find the courage to? No, I rather love Misty from a far then to risk losing her I can't go through that again._

Ash sighed.

"Ash? What have you been thinking about?" Misty asked.

"Uhh…." Ash tried hard to think about something without actually having to lie to her. "I was just thinking how good you look today." It wasn't a lie, since Misty was wearing those shorts that somehow make her look talker and more appealing.

"Well, thanks, I know I look good." She laughed.

"Isn't vanity like one of the seven deadly sins or something?" Ash wondered out loud again. This time he received a hard slap on the back of the head.

"Well, I guess that mystery's solved," Misty said with a proud smirk on her face.

* * *

><p>After all the horsing around they finally managed to get back on the road again. Still not tired yet, Ash remained determined to stick to the trail and cover as much ground as they could today.<p>

Ash senses were tingling all throughout today, and he decided to stay close to the others. No one else noticed how unusually quiet it was, except for Misty.

"Ash…"she began to whisper.

"I know. You feel it too? I thought after being with Pikachu for so long I would be the only one to pick up on these things before anyone else." Ash whispered back.

"No way," Misty said, "After being around the water all my life, not to mention being around my sisters, you come to expect things are going to happen when everything's still."

"So you guys are feeling the same way I am huh?"

Misty and Ash turned around to see Brock behind them. "Something's definitely not right, I know there shouldn't be many pokemon here if Team Rocket has them all, but it's too quiet—even the wind isn't moving!" Misty replied back.

"Ash…!" Dawn yelled, "Above you!" Just has she said that, a helicopter can be seen in their view, heading straight towards them.

"Damn it, not this again." Tracy sighed.

Then they heard the words they never thought they'd hear:

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"Jessie and James?" Ash wondered.

"Meowth, that's right!"

They flew out of the helicopter and landed on the ground, although it was more like a crash on the ground.

"Oww, James who told you to land on me?" Jessie said.

"It wasn't my fault, Meowth got in my landing space!" James tried to defend himself.

"Oh, yeah sure, blame it on me, you twos just got bad coordination!" Meowth landed happily on his feet as always.

"Huh, it's funny to see you guys here alone," Ash began, "I thought masters would never let their pets stray too far away from them off their leashes." Everyone laughed, but they could tell that he was being serious.

"Ha, ha, ha, I really liked that one, Ash," Cassidy and Butch came out from behind a tree. "Sometimes I think you're too evil to be a good person. If the situation was a little different, you would be my partner!" Cassidy laughed.

"Maybe in another dimension, Cassidy, but never in this would will I work with someone has wicked as you," Ash retaliated.

She giggled, which surprised everyone a little, even Butch. "I'm liking you more and more, Ash, maybe you should join us—I could be your personal mentor." Then she winked, which gave Ash the creeps.

"Get your own mentor, you old hag! Ash would never be with the likes of you!" Misty made her hands into fists against Ash's shirt. She could feel her anger—and her jealousy—rising again.

Cassidy was expected to blow her top, but instead she remained calm: "Are you jealous of me, Misty? Maybe you're afraid that Ash would want a more mature, fully grown woman, instead of a little shrimp like you."

"I'll show you shrimp, you ugly son of a bi—"

"Hey hold on a second!" Ash intervened, at the perfect timing; "First off, Cassidy what you're implying is wrong on so many levels, and two you can't decide who I want, and three, Misty don't let her get to you—you're ten times better than she is!"

"I doubt it," Butch got into it now, "That puny little half pint is nothing but a phony, vindictive, arrogant bitch!"

This of course got Ash's blood to boil, "Butch, it's taking all the power I have not to come over there and beat you into the ground for what you did to Misty, so if you value your life you'd shut the hell up!" Misty started rubbing his shoulders in an effort to calm him down.

Brock was sensing where this was going an attempted to change the subject, "What do you want from us, anyway?"

"What do you think we want, idiot," Cassidy began, "We want your—"

"Hey hold on," Butch interrupted, "It's obvious the kid has something against me so let's get it out right now! You think you're so tough when you hide behind your friends, don't you? But you're nothing, and the same goes for your girlfriend! How about we have a match huh? If I win I get Misty and if you win I won't bother you anymore, how about that?"

Well if Ash wasn't angry before he sure is now. "You…you…you ass! There are so many words I want to call you, but I can't because May and Dawn are underage! How dare you disgrace the meaning of a pokemon battle with your dumb, selfish, acts! That is not what battles are for, and if you think for a second that I'm going put Misty's freedom and pride on the line for your cowardice then you're dead wrong! Misty isn't some prize to be won, and she's not something to be gambled away like a paycheck! She's a human being, you bastard, and she deserves some respect!"

Misty held her hand to her mouth in shock. Not even Daisy went that far to make her feel like she had some self worth, but she knew she had to calm Ash down, "Ash enough. Don't stoop to his level, he doesn't deserve the satisfaction of seeing you like this—it's what he wants!"

Ash reluctantly nodded.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Butch teased, "Do what your bitch wants like a good little puppy—good boy! Sit boy! Stay boy!" He began to laugh. Ash sighed and let Misty slowly get off his back. He didn't say anything as he walked right up to the laughing Butch, and punched him in the mouth.

"Ash!" Misty yelled; that was the last thing Ash heard as he began pounding away on Butch.

_This is for Misty_, he punched him in the nose, most likely breaking it again, _and this is for Pikachu!_ He kicked him in the stomach and shoved him down, then began to wail on him again. Ash had the upper hand for a while, but Butch began to get his strength back and finally ended up rolling on top of Ash. He punched him in the face over and over.

"This is how you want to play, huh?" He said laughing. He grabbed his hair and punched him back down again. "Maybe after I finish playing with you, I can get my little Misty and take her back to my place," he whispered, "I wonder how loud she'll scream for me…"

With this Ash had gained newfound strength and rolled over back on him. "You arrogant, perverted, bitch! You deserve to die!" He punched him everywhere he could, eventually going down to his ribcage. "I hate you! I hate you with every fiber of my being! If I ever even hear you say Misty's name again, I'll kill you!" Unfortunately Ash didn't realize he was close to doing that already; he had knocked Butch unconscious. Upset by this, he got up from on top of him and began kicking him in the stomach, even once in the head. "You dumb ass! Wake up so I can punch you back down!"

Meanwhile everyone else was so horrified by this all they could do was stare. Misty began to cry.

_He-he's doing this for me, because of me!_ Then she saw that Ash was kicking him so much blood trickled from his mouth.

"He's going to kill him," she heard May say, it was then Misty knew what she had to do.

"Ash!" She got up the best she could on her own and ran up to him. She heard words encouraging her not to but she pretended not to hear. "Ash, Ash stop this you're going to kill him! Ash!" She touched Ash's shoulder and Ash was so shocked by this he turned around ready to hit whoever was behind him.

Then he stopped.

He saw her face, Misty's once beautiful face become horrified by what she saw, and those eyes….those scared, petrified eyes that were trying hard to see into his soul. Ash, finally realizing exactly what he was doing, slowly lowered his hand. Then he looked at his hands to find that they were nearly covered in blood.

Ash looked back at Butch's body, fear flooding his eyes, and began to cry out, "My god, what have I done!" He slowly backed away shaking his head, as if refusing to believe it all, then broke off into a run. He heard Misty's voice scream out his name, but he didn't care, he kept running.

Ash ran as far as his legs could carry him then he stopped and slowed to a walk, before finally he collapsed on his knees. All he thought was: _my god, I've killed him!_

He looked back at his hands again, and then began to cry_. I never killed anyone before, but why now, why me?_ He buried his face in his hands. _I hate myself, I let my anger get the best of me, and I screwed up bad—I will never get out of this. _

He looked up at the sky. _Forgive me heavens for I have sinned! How will I ever be forgiven for this?_

* * *

><p>"There he is!" Tracy exclaimed. Thanks to Tracy's Marill and Misty's Azumarill they were finally able to track Ash down after about an hour. "Well, who should do the honors of talking to him?"<p>

"Poor thing, he's been through a lot of stress," Dawn said, looking on Ash's battered body hunched up in a ball. His head was on his knees and his arms covering his face, as if shielding himself from the outside world.

"I'll talk to him." Misty volunteered.

"Are you sure, Misty?" Brock asked.

Misty nodded her head, "I hate to say this, but I may be the only one who comes close to understanding exactly how he feels. I think I can relate to him better." And with that, Misty, still wobbly from walking on one leg, slowly made her way to him.

Ash didn't notice her, or at least pretended not to notice her, as she stopped as his feet. Misty just stared at him, not saying anything, and she felt so many memories passing through her head. _He looks exactly the way I did when my parents died, when Violet called me a murderer, when I realized I was completely alone…_

She collapsed to her knees. _Oh Ash, did we have to be one in the same? You're breaking just like I did, like I was, I never wanted to see you this way…_She couldn't stop the tears from flowing now.

"My sweet precious Ash, I knew you were breaking! I tried to save you, but in the end I could do nothing. I've failed you, as a friend, and I'm deeply sorry for all I've done." She buried her face in her hands.

The crying seemed to wake Ash up; he slowly looked over at her. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and frankly he believed he seen enough of it. His shaky hands reached over and grabbed hers and pulled them away from her face.

"Misty," he whispered hoarsely, "there's no reason for you to cry, none of this is your fault. I am the one to blame. I let my emotions and my anger get the best of me and I couldn't control myself. I was stupid and selfish, and because of that I took it all out on Butch. Now maybe he deserved it for calling you all those names, but that's still no excuse for killing the guy. Now I must pay the consequences for my actions."

"Ash…you're jumping to conclusions again." Misty smiled. "Butch is not dead."

"What? You're serious?"

"He was beat up pretty bad for sure, but he was still breathing when you left him. Cassidy slapped him a few times to wake him up, he mumbled some stuff to her, then they all got up and left—they were too shocked to try and steal our pokemon!"

Ash smiled and laughed to himself. "So he's not dead then. Well I'm glad about that, but a part of me can't help but hate that fact—I never in a million years thought I would grow to hate someone so much, you know I'm usually a nice person."

Misty nodded. "Yeah I know, and you still are. I'd like to thank you, for defending me no one's ever did that before."

Ash looked away in an attempt to hide his blush, "Well, I-I was just doing what I thought was right—of course I never wanted it to go that far—besides you're such a sweet person, and even though I may take that for granted sometimes, I wanted to let you know that I-I really appreciate you."

Now it was Misty's turn to blush; "Ash…I don't know what to say…"

They seemed to stare at each other for the longest after that, looking in each other's red eyes, not truly knowing what one felt for the other. They both smiled, their faces getting closer to each other. Then…

"Ahem," Brock interrupted.

They both pulled away and looked up to see their friends. "Is everything ok now?" Dawn asked.

Ash looked at Misty and smiled, "Yeah, I think I'm going to be just fine." _Rain or shine, no matter what, as long as Misty is with me I'll be just fine._

* * *

><p>It was late in the night, and despite the fact that he still had his friends who didn't judge him for that vicious attack against Butch, Ash still couldn't help find a nice quiet place to himself to think alone.<p>

_I still can't get over what I did today. It was completely unbecoming of me, so unacceptable, so disgraceful, and I can't help but hate myself for letting my emotions get the better of me like that. And to think I almost hit Misty! The very woman I was protecting! I've never hit a woman before and I don't ever want to. I hear enough on the news about awful stuff like that, how the woman never stands a chance against the forceful, violent man—it just makes me sick to my stomach. Seriously I nearly hurl when I here stuff like that, it so pathetic of a man to hit a woman, no matter what the reason. But that's not the point; the point is that I made a fool out of myself today, how can I ever truly forgive myself for this? I could apologize to Butch if I see him again, but for one Butch would never forgive me, and for two I would never mean it._

Ash sighed and looked up at the starts in the sky_. I wish Pikachu were here. He'd at least lend me emotional support. _ He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply and that's when he smelled it, Misty's perfume. Opening his eyes he said, "How long are you going to stand there before I get to see your face?"

Her voice rang out in the darkness, "Well I just thought you might want some time to yourself. Don't mind me I'm just checking up on you."

"No, don't," he answered back, "I need to have someone with me, can you sit with me a while?" Misty reluctantly appeared in view and sat next to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I wish I could say great, but I'm getting better, bit by bit each day."

"I know I haven't been that much help for you…"

"Don't talk like that!" Ash interrupted, "Just you being here, sitting next to me, do you know how much that helps? Then I have everyone else here with me too, I would've never had made it if I came here alone. The best decision I made was bringing you all with me—just having you all travel with me has made me stay sane a little while longer." He began to laugh.

Misty smiled. "I'm glad."

"You're walking a whole lot better."

"Yeah well, it still kind of hurts."

"You shouldn't move around so much." Ash took her foot and examined it. "The swelling has gone down, that's good, but you still should take it easy." Then he began to massage it. "That doesn't hurt does it?"

"It feels good actually." She laughed. "Here I come to help you feel better and you're helping me feel better."

Ash smiled. "It's ok, I know we've all been through a lot since coming here, so you shouldn't waste your time worrying about me."

Misty shook her head, "Ash, you are the heart and strength of this team—we depend on you, so we have to make sure you're ok, at least I have to."

Ash looked at her. "Misty…do you think I'm a good person?"

Misty was shocked by this question. "Ash, of course I think you're a good person!"

"Do you…think I'm a good trainer?"

"Ash, you've got to be the best trainer I know!"

"What kind of trainer gets all their pokemon stolen so easily…?" Ash lowered his head.

"Ash, there is no way this is your fault! You did everything you could, more than you could, and we all know how strong-willed and determined you are—after all you wouldn't be here now, would you? And you're forgetting you're not the only one to get your pokemon taken from you."

Ash looked back up. "Oh that's right, Team Rocket stole your pokemon too, didn't they?"

Misty smiled proudly, "They tried, but of course they were no match for me! And you forget I only had one pokemon to defend myself with! You have five, plus all of our pokemon if you need them, so you're a whole lot better off than I was."

"Hey now that I think about it," Ash thought out loud, "You never did tell me how you got them all back. It must have been a miracle."

Misty continued to smile. "You want to know?"

"Well, there I was, sleeping so peacefully," Misty began, "When all of a sudden I heard this loud bang that woke me up from my dream. I ran downstairs and I heard the sound of tires screeching….

***Flashback***

"What the—?" Misty ran down the steps and once she heard the tires, she ran outside to find out what was going on. She looked outside to see a huge truck pulling off and the faint sound of laughter.

She ran back inside and discovered what was wrong. "Nooooooooo!" she screamed. All of her pokemon were gone, none in the tanks, in the pool, even those in the back were gone. "I don't believe this! That truck must've been behind this!" She ran back up to her room. _Too bad my sisters aren't here, but they wouldn't be that much help anyway. There's only one thing left to do._

She reached under her pillow and retrieved the pokeball from under it. "It's all up to you now, go!"

She released her sleeping pokemon, the last one she had left: Psyduck. "Wake up, duck, we've got a situation! Hey!" After shaking it a few times, Psyduck finally came around.

"Psyyyyy," it moaned.

"Come on now, we got to get moving, our friends have been taken from us, we've got to get them back!"

With that Misty and Psyduck ran off into the night air. They followed the tire tracks for a while, but then lost them.

"Dang it, where could they have gone?" Misty said as she looked around.

"Psyy! (There!)" Psyduck pointed left on a four way intersection.

"Are you sure, Psyduck?"

Psyduck nodded and led Misty down the street to the docks, and she noticed one of the warehouses right away. "There! That's the truck I saw!" They crept carefully to it, looking for anyone outside along the way. As they slowly made their way inside, they heard voices.

"Ha ha ha, this was far too easy! Like taking candy from a sleeping baby!" the woman laughed.

"You're right," a man replied, "We should always do this, and now at least that girl knows what Team Rocket is all about."

The woman laughed again. "I wonder how the poor pathetic girl would feel tomorrow when she wakes up to find all of her pokemon gone! Oh well, let's get these in the truck and keep moving." Misty saw the woman pick up some bags off of the floor and made her move forward, but as she did that Psyduck had tripped and hit a hollow barrel—which of course made a loud echo throughout the warehouse.

"What the heck was that?" the man jumped.

Misty had no choice. "I knew I'd find you, Team Rocket!" she came out from her corner with Psyduck waddling in tow.

"Well, so the girl tracked us down, huh? You're very quick girl." The woman smiled.

"My name is Misty! And don't you forget it, Cassidy!"

"So, you remember our names, well then I guess you also remember how we told you we'd get our revenge for that Luvdisk failure right? Consider this as payback!" Cassidy yelled.

"That's right," Butch stepped forward, "And now that you're without pokemon there's no way you can stop us!" he held up a pokeball.

Cassidy laughed as she released hers. "Go!"

Cassidy released her strong and formidable Raticate, while Butch brought out his Houndoom.

Misty gritted her teeth. _Damn, this isn't going to be easy, Psyduck is still in training—it can't even handle one battle let alone two!_ Despite the odds stacked up against it, Psyduck came out ready to battle.

"Psyduck, just be careful, and don't give up ok? You can do this!" Misty encouraged.

Then the battle began.

"Raticate tackle attack!" Cassidy said.

"You do the same Houndoom!"

"Dodge them, Psyduck!" Misty commanded.

Psyduck managed to get away from Raticate but Houndoom was too fast. Psyduck rolled on the ground and struggled to get back up, but managed to do it.

_Alright, calm down Misty, you can do this, have faith in Psyduck!_

"Psyduck, try your water gun against Houndoom," she said. Psyduck's water gun gushed forth, but just barely missed Houndoom. "Try it again, Psyduck, work on your aim!" Psyduck tried again and again, but Houndoom was just too fast.

Butch grinned. "You're stupid Psyduck is weak! Houndoom flamethrower." The flamethrower hit its mark, sending Psyduck flying.

"Psyduck!"

"Raticate, it's your turn, Hyper Fang attack!" Cassidy yelled.

Psyduck just barely dodged; Misty breathed a sigh of relief. _Damn, I need an attack that would take them both out, but Psyduck's headache isn't bad yet._

"Psyduck, try your water gun again on Raticate this time," Misty yelled. Psyduck's attack was too fast for Raticate to get away, and it was hit with full force. "Psyduck scratch attack!"

"Not so fast, Houndoom, use your smog attack," Butch said. Houndoom had unleashed a black cloud just as Psyduck was about to strike, which left everyone blind, but this didn't deter Misty.

"Psyduck aim your water gun towards the ground!"

It was quiet for a few seconds, but then Psyduck could be seen coming out of the dark cloud, taking out both pokemon and the smog at the same time.

"Good job, Psyduck." Psyduck landed on the ground next to Misty, ready for the next attack.

"Cass, let's take them out together," Butch suggested.

"Raticate hyper fang attack!" Cassidy yelled.

"Houndoom, use tackle!"

The both came at Psyduck now at full speed. "Psyduck, try your hydro pump attack!" Misty yelled. Psyduck released a full force of water, but unfortunately both pokemon were able to dodge and hit Psyduck.

"No!" Misty yelled as Psyduck went all the way into a wall from the tackle attack.

"Give it up, girl, your pokemon is weak! Why don't you just give up?" Cassidy was trying to get into Misty's head.

"Give up? Give up and let my pokemon go to scoundrels like you? There's no way!" Misty retaliated.

"You got spunk, girl, but talk is nothing when you have a worthless pokemon that can't even protect itself let alone protect you," Butch smiled. "Houndoom, use your flamethrower on the girl."

Misty gasped as the fire came straight towards her and she didn't have time to run. She closed her eyes and waited for impact but was surprised when nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes and received another shock: Psyduck had protected her by using disable. _Disable? But Psyduck's headache isn't bad enough for that…is it? _Misty was broken away from her thoughts by a sharp pain—Raticate had come from behind and bit her arm.

"Waaaaaaa!" She managed to fling it off her and surveyed the damage. Holding her bleeding wound she called another attack, "Psyduck, use confusion! Send Houndoom flying right into Raticate!" Psyduck did just that, and they both went straight into Butch and Cassidy. As they tried to get up Psyduck was far from done—its body began to glow a bright blue.

"Psyduck?"

Psyduck held its hands in the air and the ground began to break up and levitate. Then Psyduck dropped his arms forcefully, and along with it the ground and a wall of water was heading straight for Cassidy and Butch.

"What the hell is that?" Butch yelled.

"It doesn't matter let's just get out of here!" Cassidy said, already running back towards the truck. Psyduck's attack was too fast and too strong, and hit Team Rocket and the truck they had with full power—it created a loud explosion. Team Rocket was sent spiraling through the air.

"This isn't over!" they yelled.

It was deadly quiet for the next few seconds, as Psyduck's energy calmed down, and it returned to its original color. Misty just stood there not knowing what to say or think, but then she remembered her pokemon and ran over to the five bags on the floor.

"Yes! They're all here, safe and sound!" She turned back to look at Psyduck, who was standing right next to her, and bent down to hug it. "Psyduck, I don't know what you did back there, but you were amazing! I've never been more proud of you!"

"Psyyy?"(What? Did I miss something?) Psyduck placed its hands on its head in its usual position.

Misty just smiled. "Come on, it's been a long night, let's go home."

***End of Flashback***

"I found out later that the attack Psyduck used was hidden power, it was a mixture of psychic and water pulse I think, but ever since then, I've never doubted Psyduck," Misty said proudly.

"Hmm, you know what?" Ash began, "I was so off into your story I forgot the whole point of it." He laughed.

"Ash, the point was to say to you don't give up, if I can get all of my pokemon back from Team Rocket with a low level Psyduck, then you can do the same. Fortunately for you, you have plenty of pokemon to choose from—you can always switch."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Ash agreed.

"What I mean is, I know you can do this Ash, why do you keep doubting yourself? You made a few mistakes, and you may have gotten a bit too angry, but you know what that's a good thing because it shows that you're human; all humans make mistakes. I know this is hard for you, it's hard for all of us, but you just have to remember that you're not alone, you have us with you along the way. Stop thinking you have to go through this all by yourself and let us help you—it's what we're here for."

"I know, I know, but I…you want to know the truth Misty? The truth is that I'm scared. I'm scared of Team Rocket's power, I'm scared that we might not make it out of here alive, I'm scared that I'll never see Pikachu or the others again, I'm-I'm scared of what I might do. It seems like ever since this whole thing started, I've been changing, and I don't know what to do anymore. And then today…today I was just so angry…it scared me most of all. And then I almost beat Butch to death, and almost hit you…"

"But you didn't Ash!"

"Yeah but I almost did! And then what could've stopped me? I can't live with the fact of knowing that I'd hurt you—it's too much."

"You didn't hit me, Ash, and you didn't kill Butch. You know why? Because you had a conscious, you were able to realize right from wrong, and that's what separates you from them. You can never be them, even if you did beat Butch to death, because you would feel bad about it afterwards—unlike them."

Misty touched his hand, "You have a good, kind, gentle soul, Ash. You may be going through a lot of turmoil, but I know that you're not a vicious monster—or a murderer— like you're probably thinking you are now .You're a damn good trainer and a damn good person—no matter what you think—and I'm sure everyone else will agree with me when I say that we are just as confused and scared as you are. We never went through all this before, I mean I knew Team Rocket was bad but…no matter how hard things get we've come too far to stop now. And I also want to let you know that I want to help in whatever way I can because you don't deserve this, you don't deserve to go through all this."

Tears began to fill her eyes. "I wish I knew what to do," she cried out, "I hate to see you look this way—its exactly the way I looked after my parents died, sad and breaking and helpless—like the world is crashing around you and you don't know what to do. I don't think I would be able to go through that again, and I hate to see you go through it too, so please don't break Ash. Please hang in there, stay strong for all of us…for me." She buried her face in her hands and cried harder.

Of course Ash hated to see her cry, so he quickly grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Misty, you don't know how good it is to have someone like you. Here you are, crying for me, and I'm not even hurt. You can see me hurting inside like no one else can and I thank you for that. Just talking to you makes me happy, just seeing you makes me happy! Sometimes I can't help but think about you and forget all about my troubles. I guess what I mean to say is…Misty…you mean the world to me."

Misty was inwardly shocked. _Wait…what do you mean by that? Ash…do you…do you really…_

Ash held her closer. "Misty, I'm sorry for putting you through all of this, but don't even think about this being your fault because it's not, it's not your fault. Just you being here is enough for me, you should know how much you mean to me, how much I truly appreciate you."

He broke his hug and held her hands in his. "I want to thank you, for all that you've done." He kissed her cheek and held her again.

It was a long time since Misty felt so much love. Although he didn't say it directly, she knew what he meant. She never felt the need to be close to him more, and since Ash didn't object, that's the way they stayed.

"Misty," Ash whispered, "I know that I'm a good person, otherwise I wouldn't be holding you right now. And it's because I'm a good person that I know I—I mean we—can defeat Team Rocket. We can do this as long as were together. As long as we stick together like this, Misty, I know there's nothing we can't do. People are counting on us, Misty. The world is counting on us. This isn't just for me, this is for everyone who ever had their pokemon taken from them, their dreams crushed, their lives ruined, because of selfish and ignorant people like Team Rocket. We have to win, we have to! Although the road is long and the journey is tough, we must never give up—we must keep the faith—we must do this! We will be the strength for others to follow, the inspiration for everyone everywhere who needs the courage to stand up to those that are evil—those that oppose us. Quitting now will only doom us to failure."

Misty smiled and nodded against Ash's shirt. "You're right Ash, you're right."

* * *

><p>Please be sure to let me know what you think of it! It kind of made me sad to write Ash in such a destructive way, but at least he feels bad about it right?<p>

Until next time...


	18. Chapter 18: Love and Friendship

Sorry for the long wait I had some epic amount of writer's block. Enjoy!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon just some random characters here and there.

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: Love and Friendship<strong>

Morning started off regular as usual.

"Morning Misty!" Dawn greeted her while she and May were getting changed in the bushes. "How'd you sleep?"

Misty sighed. "I slept good, no I slept great!" She laughed.

May smiled. "So I guess you and Ash had a great night together right?" Misty was confused and speechless but May elaborated, "I saw Ash carrying you back here late last night. He had such a happy look on his face!"

Meanwhile Ash was shaving by the river when Brock and Tracy came over to him.

"Hey Brock breakfast ready?" he asked.

Brock wrapped his arm around him. "Not yet dear friend, but I see you're shaving again, huh? You know, I wonder if Misty would like it if you suddenly grew a beard."

"Why would Misty care if I grew a beard?"

"Well it's just, I saw her wrapped up in your arms last night coming back here, so I assumed you finally admitted your feelings for her and now you two are dating…right?"

Tracy couldn't help but laugh at this moment.

"Whoa, wait a sec, it's not like that!" Ash tried to explain but Brock was on a roll.

"Hey man it's ok you've been under a lot of stress lately so I guess you need to take your frustrations out on someone—emotional and sexual," Brock said with a smile on his face.

Tracy fell to his side laughing. "Brock you really need to get your head out of the gutter…"

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth, unless you and Misty are…friends with benefits!"

Ash playfully shoved Brock on the ground and attempted to threaten him with his razor. "Brock, quit playing or I'm going to give you a shave you won't like so much."

This was going on right as the girls were coming out from changing.

"What are you guys up to?" May asked.

Tracy was still laughing for some reason and Ash was on top of Brock with a razor. Yep, a typical morning.

Misty laughed, "You guys can be so silly sometimes, and it's hard to believe you're adults."

Ash stopped his early rampage to look at Misty—he couldn't help admiring her figure. She was wearing a skinny little yellow tank top that showed off a bit of her bellybutton and jean shorts that did wonders at showing off her thighs. The outfit reminded him of what she used to wear during their early travels. Misty continued laughing not knowing how hard Ash was staring.

"C'mon Ash, quit undressing her with your eyes and get off me!" Brock yelled.

Ash looked down and reluctantly got off him. "Fine, fine, but quit playing so much, and they say I'm the immature one."

After breakfast, where Brock still couldn't stop his silent teasing about Ash and Misty, everyone was off once again. Misty was still on Ash's back, he didn't want her pushing herself too much, however since his feelings for Misty had grown stronger since they began their journey, he was beginning to like having her so close a little too much. Nevertheless, Ash sucked it up and they continued their trek, but they heard something from above once they reached an open field.

"Oh no, is it Cassidy and Butch or something?" May worriedly asked.

"No, it just seems to be one person this time," Tracy said looking up. Everyone looked up to see one man coming down in a parachute.

"Well whoever this guy is, he's obviously looking for trouble," Ash said, beginning to look worried as well. _I just hope I don't become the monster I was yesterday…_

Misty was thinking the same thing apparently as she clutched Ash's shirt. The Rocket member ended up landing right in front of them. He smiled maliciously. He had sandy brown hair, a soft face and dark eyes that seemed to pierce right through you.

"Wow, he's cute."

"May!" Dawn yelled.

"Well I can't help it, he is cute, almost too cute to be evil," May said, who couldn't help but blush at him.

Ash just shook his head but then realized Misty was smiling from above him. "What," he started, "don't tell me you think he's cute too?"

Misty shook her head. "Actually I was thinking how you could waste this guy in a battle," she laughed.

Ash smiled and replied, "Maybe."

"Well now," the rocket member began, "I suppose it's only polite if I introduce myself. I go by the code name Dark Shadow but I suppose if that's too much for you to remember you can call me by Anderson. Now, I'm looking for a man named Ash Ketchum. Which one of you is he?"

"I am," Ash said.

"Well, it's very nice to finally meet you. Let's cut the formalities and get to the point. The reason why I'm here is because I want a match with you, but before you accept let me tell you the rules. If you win I shall never bother you again, however if I win I get to keep all of your pokemon."

Everyone gasped but Ash remained unfazed. "Oh yeah that sounds real fair," he said.

Anderson smiled, "Do you accept, boy?"

Ash smiled, "Not even Jessie and James call me boy. But since we just met, I might be willing to forgive you. And I accept your challenge!" He slowly slid Misty off of her back.

Anderson smiled again, "Good. Is a one-on-one match ok with you?"

"It's fine by me."

"Fine, then you do the honors first."

Ash smirked, "I have the perfect one! Quilava go!" Quilava came out ready to battle, blowing fire from its back.

Then Anderson released his pokemon. "It's a Pikachu! Wow what a coincidence," Dawn remarked.

"Yeah, but what's with the red necklace? Does that boost its power?" Brock asked.

"If it does that's a cheap trick," May said, "Can't he trust in his pokemon's own power? Does he have to boost it up like that?"

Misty looked over to see Ash shaking a little. She reached out and held his hand, and received a warm smile from him. "Quilava get ready!"

"You get ready, too, Pikachu." Pikachu had gotten on all fours now, sparks flying from its cheeks.

Misty bit her lip. She was thinking something but was too afraid to say it. Next thing she knew Ash said it for her: "Misty," he whispered, "doesn't that Pikachu look really familiar, or is it just me?"

Misty slowly nodded, "But…it couldn't be…battle it and see for sure," she suggested.

"Quilava, try your flamethrower!"

"Pikachu, quick attack," Anderson commanded. Pikachu began to quickly dodge every fire ball that came its way and was heading straight towards Quilava at the same time.

_Hm, he's fast but still, a lot of Pikachu are fast._

"Quilava, jump and use flamethrower again!"

Anderson smiled, "Why don't we make this interesting now, Pikachu jump and use iron tail!" Pikachu was fast, far too fast, and hit Quilava before it could even react. Quilava crashed to the ground.

"Quilava hang in there!" Ash yelled. Quilava struggled to its feet, but it wasn't prepared for the next attack.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt." Ash could see Pikachu charging up its cheeks. "Quilava get out of there!"

Quilava dodged just in time. _Whew, that was close Quilava would have been done for._ What Pikachu did next was nothing short of shocking.

"Pikachu quick attack again," Anderson commanded.

"Quilava fire blast!" Anderson smiled, and without warning, Pikachu was off its feet and began to spin. Ash and Misty gasped.

"Ash!" she yelled, "That's…!"

"Quilava get out of there!" Ash yelled again, and Quilava obeyed.

"What is this," the Dark Shadow was beginning to get offended, "a game of cat and mouse? Your Quilava can't run forever and you know it!"

Ash became completely mortified, and a surprised Misty was standing next to him. "Ash," she whispered, "It couldn't be, it can't be…please tell me there's more than one Pikachu that knows that move…" Ash shook his head, knowing full well now that this wasn't just any other Pikachu, this was _his _Pikachu. His pride and joy! The one he taught that move to!

"I-I-I can't…this is…too much…"

Brock, who like the others was listening in on the whole conversation, "Ash, you don't really think that this is _your_ Pikachu, do you?" Ash was at a loss for words.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Anderson taunted, "Don't tell me you're giving up now?"

Ash wanted to say something but couldn't so Misty spoke up, "You bastard, you come here acting all cool and then you challenge Ash to a battle, knowing full well that you would use his own pokemon against him!"

Anderson smiled, not caring that he got caught, "Well he accepted, a deal is a deal," he laughed.

"You know what you are? You're nothing but a coward! A spineless, piece of shit coward! People like you who use dirty tricks like this make me sick, you're just a—"

Misty was cut off, "Little lady if I was a coward I would've just ended the match right now as we're speaking, but you see I'm not doing that am I? Am I so much of a coward now?"

Misty gritted her teeth, "You're still just a—"

"Misty," Ash spoke out now, "I got this, don't worry." He stepped forward. "Anderson, or whoever you call yourself, I would call you something else, but I think Misty took care of it all for me."

"Most of it," she added.

Ash continued, "Anyway, you want this battle finished so let's finish it!" Ash's eyes burned with determination.

He smiled and said, "Quilava, smokescreen!" Once the cloud of smoke covered the area, Ash dashed in without a thought.

Anderson was still dead set on winning, however, "Pikachu, thunder bolt now!" Sparks flew all throughout the field but when the dust had cleared Ash was still holding on to Pikachu, a little fazed but not out.

"Heheh, looks like my immunity is paying off again. I was hoping you'd use Pikachu's electricity, it lead me straight to him! Now I'll show you that this is my pokemon and no one else's!"

Anderson had his malicious smile, "Oh really? Pikachu iron tail." Pikachu charged up its tail and hit Ash with full force, knocking him back to where Misty was standing.

"Ash," she went over to him, "are you alright?"

Ash struggled to get up, "But…how…?"

"Still confused boy? Let me tell you, you see the red necklace around Pikachu's neck it gives him power, nearly doubling its original strength. This Pikachu was in bad shape when we first met. You see this Pikachu was suffering from the loss of its trainer so badly, all it could do was cry and sleep—it wouldn't eat, it wouldn't battle—just awaiting its own death. So you see our master, Giovanni, had put one of his experiments to the test and it worked; Pikachu's memories were erased and replaced, so that way it could quit mourning and start battling again! It all worked, thanks to Giovanni, this once poor defenseless Pikachu, and the necklace around its neck. Pretty cool, don't you think so?" Anderson began to laugh.

"You cold-hearted bastard! How could you do this?" Ash yelled.

"That's right it's completely despicable what you've done," Brock added, "This pokemon has been trained faithfully by Ash for years, and then you just come and erase it all away! You play with pokemon like they're your toys, toys that you could just break apart and reform again like it's nothing! Pokemon should be treated with the same amount of respect as anyone else!"

Anderson pretended not to listen. "Look are we going to finish this battle or not? I didn't come here to talk with a cup of tea over morals!"

Ash stood up and nodded, "Fine then."

Anderson continued, "Pikachu, volt tackle!"

"Quilava flamethrower!"

Quilava was strong, but its flamethrower wasn't enough to take out volt tackle and it ended up getting hit as a consequence.

"Quilava!" Quilava stumbled to the ground, but was still determined.

Everyone encouraged it, "You can do it Quilava!"

Ash smiled as Quilava was finally able to stand up.

"How about a finishing blow," Anderson said, "Volt tackle once more."

"No way is this over! Quilava use over heat!" Ash yelled.

Quilava had a bright red glow and yelled out its name, making the ground shake. It was because of this that Pikachu couldn't use volt tackle correctly and ended up stopping in its tracks to rebalance itself.

"What the…? I've never seen overheat used this way!" Anderson said.

"It can not only be used to show a fire pokemon's power but also to boost it up as well," Ash smiled.

Anderson gritted his teeth, "Whatever, as if you could defeat me! Volt tackle again!" Pikachu continued it attack but this time Quilava was ready.

"Quilava, use flamewheel!" Quilava charged forth in a ball of fire, hitting the volt tackle head on. Because both attacks were so strong they ended up exploding on impact, knocking them both back but they still landed on their feet.

"Flamethrower!" Ash said, and before Pikachu could react it was already hit. Pikachu tried getting up for a counterattack but Quilava was already on him.

"Quilava fire blast!" Quilava had surrounded Pikachu in a whirlwind of fire, and during the attack the necklace around its neck had gotten broken and snapped in two. Pikachu took a tumble back after this hit, and everyone grew silent as it lay still on the ground.

"I won't accept this! Pikachu, on your feet! Now!" Anderson yelled. Pikachu opened its eyes and struggled to get up, but it was a losing battle.

Then Ash's voice cried out, "Don't do it, Pikachu!"

Pikachu's eyes opened wide and it looked up. "You're not under his control anymore, so you don't have to listen to him!"

Pikachu looked confused for a minute. "Pi-pikachu…(That voice…)"

"Please Pikachu," Ash continued, "You got to remember, remember my voice! It's me, Ash, don't you recognize me?"

"Pi-pikapi…? (Ash…?)"

Ash nodded, "It's me, buddy. I'm not dead, I'm right here, can you see me?" Pikachu looked to see Ash's smile.

"Pikachu pi—pikapi! (It is you…Ash!)" Pikachu tried to run towards him, but was pulled down by its own weight. It was still too weak to run after all being in that match took a lot out of him. Ash started to run towards him but was stopped once again by the Dark Shadow.

"You forget Ash, this pokemon belongs to me now," he laughed, "So what you broke the necklace, Giovanni can always make another one." He picked Pikachu up and held him in his arms. "I'm glad you got to see him one last time, now say goodbye."

"No, Pikachu!" Ash made a mad dash towards Anderson but soon saw he didn't have to. Pikachu might've been too weak to walk but not too weak for one last thunderbolt.

"Waaaaaaaaaa!" the Dark Shadow yelled, throwing Pikachu away. Pikachu managed to jump right into Ash's arms.

"Pikachu!" he began to laugh, "I'm glad you're ok!"

However, the Dark Shadow wasn't quite finished, "Why you—" he began to pull out his gun, but May stopped him.

"Don't even think about it!" Anderson looked up in surprise to come face to face with May's Combusken. May smiled. "Com-bus-ken," she almost sung her prized pokemon's name, "Flamethrower!" Anderson screamed again as he was being engulfed in flames. He thought it was over, when Quilava had joined in for another round. This one had caused an explosion, sending the Dark Shadow on his way.

"I'll have my revenge!" he screamed, shining like a bright star in the sky.

Everyone couldn't help but be happy at this moment, after all Pikachu is back! Ash looked down to find an unconscious pokemon in his arms.

"I guess he's been through a lot huh? Come on let's get out from the open like this."

* * *

><p>Pikachu awoke with a start, not knowing where he was at first he tried to run for it, but was stopped by a pair of hands.<p>

"Pikachu it's ok, it's just me, Misty."

Pikachu turned around and sure enough, Misty was there. Pikachu then looked around to see the others, but it couldn't help being confused for a second.

"Pikachu, are you ok?" Misty asked.

Pikachu still looked confused so turned around and asked Misty, "Pi-pika pi Pikachu? (Who are these people again?)"

Misty widened her eyes, "Are you serious? You don't remember everyone?" This caught everyone else's attention.

"What are you talking about, Misty," Dawn asked.

"This is bad," Misty began, "Pikachu doesn't remember you guys!"

Everyone gasped. "Are you sure?" Brock asked.

"C'mon Pikachu think," Misty encouraged, "try and remember everyone."

Pikachu rubbed its temples trying to remember then finally called out names.

He pointed to Brock, "Pi pi pika!"

Misty smiled, "You're right that's Brock!"

He pointed to another person, "Pika pika!"

"Yes, that's Dawn!"

"Pi pika!"

"Right again, that's Tracy!"

"Pikapika pi!"

"You did it! That's May!" Misty breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Pikachu. "Good job!" Pikachu smiled weakly.

"That was close, I guess Pikachu had a short term memory loss for a sec, huh?" May smiled.

"Hey Misty, how'd you know what Pikachu is saying? I can only make out bits and pieces," Dawn noted.

Misty shook her head. "You guys can't understand him? Well, I guess it's cause I've been with them longer I suppose."

"Hey, I had been with Ash and Pikachu just as long," Brock said, "But I only understand half as much as you do."

Misty narrowed her eyes. "Well, if you weren't so busy chasing after women you might know a few things, like when Pikachu calls you an idiot behind your back." Everyone laughed, except for the embarrassed Brock.

"Hey, is Pikachu awake yet?" Ash walked into camp with a bunch of logs. Brock had sent Ash away a while back so that way he wouldn't think about Pikachu's condition all the time, leaving Ash some time to clear his head.

"He just woke," Misty said, but she didn't need to, Pikachu nearly knocked all the logs in Ash's arms trying to reach him.

Ash just laughed, "Pikachu I'm glad you're ok, but do you really have to tackle so hard?" Pikachu apologetically scratched the back of his head blushing a little.

"We had a little scare earlier," Misty began, "Pikachu at first could only remember me."

"Really? I wonder why?" Ash said surprised.

"I'm guessing it's because of what Team Rocket did to him," Tracy commented. "Remember all of Pikachu's memories were wiped away, it might take a while before it can remember everything." All Ash could do was nodded slowly. He kneeled down beside his beloved pokemon.

"Pikachu," Ash began, "I know this is hard, but I have to ask you, had you seen any of the others while you were there?"

Pikachu thought for a moment, but then shook its head.

"Is there anything else you can't remember? I know it might take a while to completely remember everything, so just take your time ok?" Ash said.

Pikachu put its paws up to his head and began rubbing his temples. "Piiiikaaa….chaaaa…."

"Hey, hey, don't try so hard! Take it easy…" Ash held him to keep him from falling.

"Ash is right," Misty agreed, "Just take it easy and let's start with the things you do remember."

Pikachu nodded and closed his eyes in thought. "Pi…pika pika chu pika…" (Well, there are some things I do remember…)

"Misty quick translate what he's saying for us!" Dawn pleaded. Misty nodded and began to speak from Pikachu's perspective:

"I remember waking up in a dark room. The ground felt kind of damp, so I got up, but then I realized I was in a cage. I looked around me but it was so dark all I could make out was other cages.

Then I heard a voice calling out: "So, you're awake I see," the voice said; it was a man's voice. I began to see him come towards me and I got scared. I began to call out for you but that's when I remembered…you were dead. So I was forced to face this guy alone. I tried to use my thunderbolt, but it was like it wouldn't come out. I really tried, but all I got was a few sparks. It annoyed me so I kept trying but it didn't work. Finally I guess the man was brave enough to pick me up and carry me with him, although I was still trying to use thunderbolt.

Finally we reached the outside it was so bright it hurt my eyes. I remember us walking down this long bright hallway until we reached this little room. Inside was all this weird stuff, like a tv and a bed, and there were people all around, and I wasn't quite sure what was going on. They had set me on the bed, strapped me up, started hooking up all the weird metal things to me I was scared out of my mind. Just when I had thought things couldn't get any worse, this other guy dressed in black had walked into the room. I guess he was the leader because everyone turned and started bowing to him.

"Master Giovanni, we brought the Pikachu like you requested sir," one of the men said.

"Good." The man held a malicious smile and it made me shiver just looking at it. He walked up to me and said, "You must be in a world of pain now little one. Your dear trainer just died and you're all alone. I can see it in your eyes, you're scared and hurting, but fear not little one, I have just the thing for you." He held up a bright red necklace. "Wear this, and all of your pain will go away."

He placed it on me and it was like…like my insides were burning…like everything was disappearing. At that point, I was in such a panic that I began to scream, screamed for help, screamed for someone to notice me, and I screamed for you….I knew you were dead but I screamed you're name anyway. I tried so hard, but near the end I was forgetting your face, your voice, your happiness…and that's when I realized…just how much you meant to me. I hated the fact that the memory of my family was being stripped away from me! I hated how you were stripped away! What was I supposed to do without you? How was I supposed to live? What could I have done? I…I was scared…scared of losing you…because then I would be alone…."

At this point Pikachu began to cry, and so did everyone else. Ash held tightly to his knees. _That's just the way mom feels about me…._

Pikachu felt a little at ease that everyone shared his pain, and was able to talk more: "And then everything got dark, dark and cold again, and I almost couldn't take it. It was like I was not able to control my own body. Everything felt weird and the longer I felt this way, the more memories of you I would lose. It got all blurry after that. I can remember being in a match or two afterwards but that was it until I heard your voice. I got so happy! It was like I had been living a bad dream, and it was all finally over! I was glad to see you and know you were ok."

"Pikachu…" Ash reached out and held Pikachu close to him. "I'm sorry. I know you had been hurting and just thinking about that thought made me hurt even more. I promise, I promise I won't leave you… I won't leave you ever again. I don't know what I'd do if you had to go through all this again, I probably wouldn't take it, in fact the only reason why I'm here now is because of our friends. I don't know what I'd do without them." He smiled as he looked at them all, not a dry eye in the group. "Aw come guys there's no need to cry…"

"It's just so beautiful! True love between a trainer and his pokemon, there's nothing like it!" Brock said.

Ash just laughed then turned to Misty and touched her shoulder, "Are you ok?" he asked. Misty could only nod in response, wiping her tears away.

* * *

><p>The rest of the night went well, with filling Pikachu on everything he missed and tying up some loose ends on the past along the way.<p>

However that night found a restless Ash. Who knows why he couldn't fall asleep, either it was Pikachu's return or just some thought of an impending doom, but he was tossing and turning.

_Man, how can everyone sleep when it's so quiet! It's enough to drive me crazy! _He turned over again just in time to see Misty leave going into the woods. _Now where is she heading off to?_ Having nothing better to do, he slowly got up and followed her.

_Man I feel like some kind of pervert following women around like this…damn Brock…_

He thought he had lost her but suddenly heard the sound of crying. _Misty…?_ He followed it until he saw a glimpse of her, and getting scared that he would be caught, hid behind a tree next to her. _Why is she crying? No way she's still upset about Pikachu…is she? _

Amidst her sobs he could hear her light voice, "Oh mom, dad, must you still haunt me?"

_So that's it,_ Ash thought_, it's her parents she's crying over_. Ash had learned just weeks before that Misty's parents were killed in a car crash on her fourth birthday by a drunk driver. Problem was that she was blamed for it ever since by her sisters because they were out getting prepared for her birthday party at the time. If it wasn't Misty's birthday, would they still have died that day?

"Misty?" he called out to her so he wouldn't scare her by sneaking up on her. Misty quickly wiped her tears.

"I'm here Ash," she called back.

He walked up and sat down next to her, "Are you ok?"

Misty nodded, "I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep so I thought I'd come out here by the river."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "You know it's dangerous for you to be out here, especially alone."

"I-I'm sorry…" Misty turned away but Ash caught her hand.

"Misty, you don't look well, are you sure you're ok?"

"I-I'm fine…"

"You don't look fine."

"I said I'm ok!"

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"You're not!"

"Just shut up and leave me alone!"

Ash was shocked by her outburst and by the looks of it so was Misty. He didn't know what to do at this point so he just got up and turned to leave before he made things worse. Misty got up and called out to him. "Ash wait! Please I—I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Ash said his back still turned to her, "I shouldn't have interfered, forgive me, k?"

"No wait! Please…don't leave me…"

Ash turned around to see tears streaking down her face. "Everyone always leaves me alone, but please, I don't want you to leave me too."

Ash smiled, "You act like I'm going back home or something. I'm just going back to sleep."

Misty continued to cry, "I-I know that but…but I…I don't know…I guess the idea of being alone scares me."

"Then why were you alone?"

"I didn't want anyone to see me cry."

Ash raised his eyebrows in fake shock, "You've been crying? Why?" Misty remained silent and held her head down.

"Misty, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"Ash it just feels like ever since I came here with you and the others and found Pikachu and everything…it just seems like all these old memories are popping up. Some are good and it makes me remember the good times we had together. Others are worse…they come from the past and they haunt me, like the death of my parents and my thoughts of suicide. Having everyone here…it makes me happy, but also a bit sad. You're the only one who knows the real me, Ash, and I'm afraid that the longer I'm with you the greater chance I have of reverting back to my old self."

She took a deep breath, her body shaking, and murmured, "I'm scared Ash."

Misty looked down at the cold hard grass, rubbing her arms with her hands, and finally turned away from him. She was afraid to look at him, afraid to face him, how could she say that being with him could make her worse? Did she mean that? She shut her eyes tightly, not knowing what to believe, until a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"Misty…I hate to think that I would bring up all those old memories back to you and for that I'm sorry. But I don't think anything as bad as what you went through back then would happen to you now. You're a lot stronger now than you was then."

"I know but what if I'm not!" She turned around to face him. "It could only take one second and then…" She trailed off and buried her face in his chest. "I don't want to become what I was back then…Ash what should I do?"

"Misty…" Ash whispered her name and held her close to him. They seemed to stay like that forever, just completely involved in each other's arms. Ash closed his eyes and whispered into the darkness.

"Misty, I promise you that you will never get that way again, because whether you like it or not I will be here for you to make sure you won't fall. Remember that's what I promised you back in Cerulean, right?" He smiled down at her and winked.

She smiled back up at him. "Ash…are you sure you would be able to protect me?"

"Of course!" He said with confidence, "I know this Misty because you know how to do something now that you didn't know very well back then."

"Really and what would that be?" Misty asked.

"This!" Ash yelled. Then without a second thought he pushed her into the river.

"Aaaaaggh! Ash you ass! I'm all wet!" She was definitely wet from head to toe but definitely lucky that the current wasn't strong.

Ash began to laugh and said, "See Misty? You've finally gained a sense of humor! You know how to have fun and be happy! How on earth can you get sad enough to kill yourself now?"

"Ash…" Misty held up a clenched fist and closed her eyes shut in an attempt to control her anger, which wasn't working. "Do you want to see my sense of humor?"

"Uhm…can I take a rain check on that? I should get going to bed now…"

"Oh no you don't, get back here Ash Ketchum!" She began to emerge from the water, which was hard because the weight of the water was holding her down. Once that was done she chased Ash around the forest for about an hour, making sure he paid for his mistake by not letting him get any sleep.

* * *

><p><em>I've been a fool. I was so worried about myself and my pokemon, I didn't even stop to think about those around me and how they've been hurting. Especially Misty…<em>

These are the thoughts Ash had as he looked at Misty and Pikachu's sleeping forms.

_Hmm, I'm going to have to find some way to repay everyone for this. They didn't have to come along, but they all volunteered without a second thought! I really have great friends…_ Ash smiled softly but didn't realize someone coming up behind him.

"Gosh Ash what are you trying to burn a hole in her?"

Ash jumped around to see Brock. "Damn it Brock, you scared the hell out of me!"

Brock smiled. "Uh huh, sooooo were you in the middle of some crazy sex fantasy between you and Misty?"

"Whaaaaa? I'm not you! I was thinking about something completely different!"

"It's perfectly ok, Ash, I have those fantasies whenever I think about Nurse Joy…one time I saw her in her nightgown and well, let's just say it was a pretty small nightgown and—"

"Hey! It's too early for that! Don't you ever think about anything else?"

"Well," Brock stopped blushing for a second but was still smiling, "I have been wondering how you do it…"

"Do what?"

"Well, it's just you seem so infatuated with Misty, yet you always keep your cool around her, even when she rides on your back and stuff. But I guess now I see my answer, so how often do think about her in the morning?"

"Brock….!" Ash couldn't fight his blush any longer, "It's not like that…!"

"Suuuure, and I'm really not in love with Nurse Joy…I just like seeing her in her underwear!"

"…." Well Ash was speechless.

"Brock that was the last thing I wanted to hear this morning…"

Both boys turned around to see Misty smiling at them. Ash turned as red as a tomato and looked away. Brock smiled, "Well, good morning Misty! Do you want to know what our topic was this morning?"

Before he could speak any further Ash grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away, "Come with me Brock, you need to take a cool off in the river."

Misty giggled to herself as she heard a loud splash a few minutes later.

By the middle of the afternoon Ash could tell everyone was getting weary . "Do you guys want to stop here?"

"Ah, it feels like we've been walking forever!" May whined.

"I hate to be a little kid, but are we there yet?" Dawn asked.

Ash smiled, "Actually, we're here."

Everyone looked around, obviously confused, until Ash pulled back a few branches in front of him. "See there?" Everyone looked to see a small town below them, containing a big downtown square surrounded by a few houses, circling around each other. "Wow you were right Ash, it really is small," May observed.

Ash nodded, "That's why we can't go through it, everyone probably knows each other down there, we would be foreign outsiders; not to mention that many of those people probably work for Team Rocket, we'd be caught before we even set foot in that place."

"So I guess that means we have no choice but to go around then?" Brock asked.

"See that mountain over there?" Ash pointed to the west side of the city, "That's where we go."

"We got to cross a mountain?" May looked tired just from the thought of it.

Ash laughed, "If you let me finish, I was going to say that the headquarters was right in front of the mountain, we wouldn't have to cross anything." May breathed a sigh of relief.

"So we got to do is get there in one piece, right?" Misty asked.

"We would have gotten there by tonight without any stops but…" Ash trailed off.

"Well then what are we waiting for!" May said with a burst of energy. "Let's get going!"

"Well actually…" Ash rubbed the back of his head, "I am kind of tired…"

Everyone stared at him…then sighed.

* * *

><p>"I don't know, Ash, are you sure this will work?" Brock asked.<p>

Ash nodded, "It has to, there's no other way." During their break Ash had explained to everyone his plan:

"The best thing for us is to swoop in at night instead of during the day. The headquarters is surrounded by guards on all four sides, but if we come in from the southeast a little farther out then we might be able to sneak by them."

"Why the southeast?" Tracy asked.

"Because their basement is on the southeast side, and I'm positive that's where all the pokemon are."

"Uh, how are we going to get underground?" May asked next.

Ash smiled. "Well, I knew this was coming so I asked Brock to bring his Steelix. It's the only one who can take us there."

"You don't think anyone will hear us do you," Misty wondered aloud.

Ash shook his head, "If we start from a far enough distance and we go deep enough underground then we should go unnoticed I think."

Everyone was still unsure but knew in the end there was no other choice.

Now Ash and the others were standing approximately 500 yards southeast of Team Rocket's headquarters.

Brock released his pokemon. "Steelix go!" Steelix came out and received a faithful smile, "Steelix we need you to take us down below and make sure to dig deep." Steelix nodded and everyone climbed aboard, then they begun their decent down into the earth.

Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder—looking tired but determined—then looked back at his friends, still looking nervous but also determined. He smiled. _This is it_, he thought_, this is the beginning of the end for you, Giovanni just you wait!_

* * *

><p>Okay another chapter is done! Hope you guys liked it and be sure to stay tuned for the next one (because it's one of my favorites).<p>

Until next time...


	19. Chapter 19: The Sweet Smell of Success!

Sorry for the short chapter (I know most of you guys are like: yes!) Well anyways this is the crutial turning point in the story-it means the end is near! If you guys have any ideas for the ending all ideas are welcome! Enjoy!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, but I do have some OC people in it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: The Sweet Smell of Success!<strong>

Who knows how long they were traveling through the tunnel they created, but they had finally reached the basement and were now standing at the opening they created.

"What are we waiting for?" May rushed forward but Ash stopped her.

"Calm down, May, we can't go in yet."

"Why not?" she asked.

Ash smiled knowingly, "Look closely."

Everyone looked and was able to barely make out what seemed like small invisible wires, all red, going back and forth across the room. They were trap wires, with the ability to capture any unsuspecting human off guard who just happened to walk straight in.

"See, if we hit any of those wires we're caught, the alarms will go off automatically. So we have to take this slow." He turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, you're the only one who can go through all these wires, so I need you to listen to me carefully."

Pikachu nodded in understanding and Ash continued, "I need you to go slowly across every wall in this room; in each corner you should see a camera at the ceiling. I want you to zap them lightly with your thundershock and take them all out, not hard enough to make a lot of noise, just quiet enough to be effective ok? Then after that on the left side of this room by that door you should see a switch for the wires, click on that and they should turn off ok?"

"Pika!" Pikachu whispered.

Ash smiled, "I know you can do it buddy, we're counting on you."

And with that Pikachu sprang into action. Everyone watched in awe as he was able to get past all the wires, with the grace and flexibility of a tiny ballerina.

"Take it slow, Pikachu…" Ash whispered under his breath.

Eventually Pikachu sighed happily as it was all done and the wires were gone, allowing Ash and the others to come in freely.

"We don't have much time," he said, "It won't be long before someone will come down here to see what's going on so we have to be quick. Please, everyone help me look for at least one of my pokemon," Ash pleaded but he didn't have to; his friends were already on it before he even asked.

After a few minutes Ash had heard a voice.

"Ash…!" It was May. They all ran over to her voice. Ash was shocked to see one of his prized pokemon, Infernape, trapped inside one of the dark, damp cages.

Ash yelled out his name, "Infernape! Infernape can you hear me?" But the poor fire pokemon, who was now a whole lot skinner than it used to be, remained unconscious. He tried to force open the cage but there was a strong lock to it. "Damn, we got to break it somehow."

Everyone thought for a moment, and then Ash thought of something. Without a word he called out Quilava and Kingler.

"Ok guys we have to make this quick. We're going to break that lock! Quilava flamethrower!" Quilava's fire had hit its mark until the lock had turned red.

"Alright Kingler, water pulse!" Kingler's pincers had glowed blue and water shot out of them at full force. Ash had noticed steam coming out of the lock and switched back to Quilava. This had worked for a few moments until the lock had begun to crack.

"Yes!" Ash returned Quilava and Kingler and had Pikachu use his thunderbolt on the lock.

Just when Ash had heard that sweet sound of the lock breaking…

"Ash, someone's coming!" Brock whispered.

"Everyone, hide!" He replied back, and Ash and his friends went to respective corners. Ash stayed right by the door, ignoring Misty's warnings to run.

The door opened.

"See, I told you just a malfunction," one of the rockets said.

"I don't know," the other member next to him whispered, shining his flashlight. Finally his bright light came to the broken lock on the floor. "What the—?"

He stepped forward but was caught by Ash swift kick to the head.

The other guy that was next to him gasped and tried to make a counter attack, but Ash had already knocked him out with a punch to the nose.

Everyone came out of hiding and Ash noticed a small black box on the floor. "What is that?" Tracy asked.

Ash looked at it for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Aw, damn it, we better get out of here."

"Why?" Tracy asked again.

Ash pointed to a blinking red light.

"This is a silent alarm," he replied slowly.

Everyone grew silent then began to hear footsteps.

"Let's go!" Tracy yelled.

Ash looked back at Infernape's cage. He hated to leave him again, to realize how close he was only to turn around and go back.

"Ash let's go!" He heard Brock yell. Ash sighed and got on Steelix.

Now here came the hard part, they had managed to get out of their tunnel ok, but Team Rocket could be felt from all sides, all they could do was run.

"Which way should we go?" Dawn asked.

"Let's split up that's the best way!" Ash answered back. Without even thinking about it, May and Dawn went one way, Brock and Tracy went the other, and Ash and Misty kept straight. Through all the running, Misty realized her foot wasn't all the way back to normal. She tripped and had to be dragged along by Ash.

"Just leave me Ash, I'm slowing you down!" Misty pleaded.

"Not a chance in hell, Misty!" Ash answered back. Pikachu said something similar to Ash's response and they all kept running. They were running along good and had gotten pretty far, but now they had no idea where they were. They had decided to walk but at a fast pace.

"Where are we, Ash, and where is everyone else?" Misty asked.

"I don't know I just hope they got out ok," he answered.

"Pi…chu… (Me too)."

"I do know one thing though, it is far too quiet," Ash looked around him. Misty's heart began to beat faster, especially when Ash pulled her closer and linked their arms.

"Stay close to me ok? I don't like this…"

Misty nodded. It wasn't long before the heard a rustle in the bushes.

Ash stopped in his tracks and Misty hid behind him. "Who's there?" Ash's voice might not have shown any fear but on the inside he was really terrified.

It was then that they suddenly realized they were surrounded by rockets. A voice bellowed out in front of them, "Well it's nice to see you again, Ash."

"Giovanni!"

He smiled. "Did you honestly think you all could get away?"

Misty stepped out, "Where are our friends?" Giovanni snapped his fingers and rockets came out from both sides of Ash and Misty, each dragging a pair of their friends out with them.

"Let them go Giovanni! They've got nothing to do with this!" Ash yelled.

"Oh I believe they do," Giovanni replied, "Aren't these the group of friends you've been traveling with that had came with you to break into my facilities? They awfully look familiar…"

Ash sighed, suddenly realizing his defeat, "What do you want…" he said a little less fiercely. He became irritated at seeing the rocket leader's smile once again.

"Oh I don't believe it's time for that yet, my dear boy, I still have one more surprise for you."

Giovanni snapped his fingers again, and some of his subjects came out behind him tugging at a struggling form with its head down.

"I found this little one where you least expected…in your hometown!" He began to laugh, which irritated Ash even more. The person had its head covered up with a hood, which was yanked off quickly without even thinking about it.

Ash couldn't help but be surprised when he knew who this person was. "No…"

The woman lifted her head up and looked at him sorrowfully, "Ash…."

"Mom?"

He looked around to see that everyone else was shocked as well. "This woman has been a lovely thorn in my side all this time," Giovanni explained, "So I figured it was about time to finish this once and for all, don't you think so Delia?"

She only shot him a glare and gritted her teeth.

"I've missed you too dear," He replied back.

"Giovanni, you cold hearted—" Ash began but Giovanni once again cut him off.

"I would refrain from calling me such words in front of your mother," he grabbed her hair and pulled it back roughly, causing her to gasp, "Haven't you taught your son decent manners?"

Ash was near to his boiling point. He would've rushed over there if Misty hadn't been holding him back.

"Don't," she whispered, "he can kill you and your mother without a second thought, and we're completely outnumbered."

Ash could only close his eyes in frustration. _This cannot be happening!_

"Well now, Ash, now that we've gotten everything out of the way, let's talk about what I want from you…" Giovanni began.

Ash's voice shook with anger, "You're not getting my Pikachu! You're going to have to try something else!"

"Ha! I could care less about you're stupid little electric rodent!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked with anger, he didn't like to be underestimated. "Well, then what do you want?"

Giovanni smiled, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Ash, I want you."

Everyone gasped at this…

Ash shyly replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't really like you that way…"

…then they all face faulted.

"You idiot! I meant I want you to be a member of my team!"

Ash realized the seriousness and gave another clear response, "Hell no!"

"Well, then, I guess you don't care if your friends and your mother all die because of your selfishness."

Ash's eyes widened, "You wouldn't dare!"

Giovanni just smiled and nodded to someone behind Ash. The next thing you could hear was a scream.

"Brock!" Misty yelled. Ash turned around to see a Team Rocket member slowly twisting his arm.

"Let him go!" Ash yelled.

"Still don't believe me huh? Well how about this…" Giovanni had a rocket member to pull a gun to Delia's head. Ash could see her close her eyes.

"Still don't believe me? Within an instant I can have your friend's arm ripped off, and your mother killed, would that cause you to believe me then?"

Ash mind was a complete wreck; he didn't know what to do.

"Fine then have it your way, say good bye to your mother," he replied.

"No, stop it!" Ash yelled.

Giovanni gave him a smile he knew what was coming next…

"I…I'll do it…"

"Ash no!" everyone seemed to yell their opinions at once.

Ash just smiled and bowed his head, "Don't you guys worry about me I'll be just fine." He looked up again. "Do you promise if I do this you will let my friends and my mother go?"

Giovanni nodded, "I'll even give them a ride back home if that is what you wish."

"We all got here without your help they can get home without it as well."

"Fine then, we have a deal."

Ash slowly picked up Pikachu and turned to Misty. "Misty, take care of him for me ok?" Pikachu and Misty both began to protest.

"Please Ash, don't do this, there's got to be another way!"

"Misty…put yourself in my shoes…"

This forced Misty to think. _He's trying to save his mother…if she were still alive…if I could turn back time…I would gladly take her place._ Misty reluctantly took Pikachu in her arms. She looked up and Ash for what seemed like the final time. She tried to burn into memory everything about him, his jet black hair, his beautiful brown eyes, his well sculpted face, his growing beard—that he shaved off again—his sweet lips, his comforting smile. At the same time Ash seemed to be doing the same thing to her. He finally smiled and took off his hat.

"This always looked better on you." He placed it on her head, then without warning, he hugged her.

Pikachu squeezed out of the way, which allowed Misty to hold him back. He whispered something in her ear, and he was pleased to see her blush while pulling back from her. He smiled again at her and kissed her cheek, then turned around and began to walk away. Misty was at a complete loss for words.

Ash walked to her mother and she ran to embrace him. "Oh Ash! Please don't do this! I…I can't lose you…not you too!" She sobbed on his shirt. Ash picked her up and wiped away her tears.

"Come on now," he said huskily, "It's not like you to cry this much." They both looked in each other's eyes then he replied again, "Don't worry, I'll be just fine." He reluctantly let her go and walked to Giovanni, who still had that irritating, idiotic smile plastered on his face.

He put a Team Rocket hat on Ash's head, "Welcome to the team."

Giovanni nodded again, and all of his teammates began to pull back and gather around Ash and the leader.

Ash looked up. _The sun is rising._ He could feel it hit his face and he couldn't help but look on his friends once again.

_Everyone…take care…_

"Don't worry, Delia," Giovanni laughed, "I'll take good care of your son."

They all began to walk away, and Ash pulled his hat over his face to hide his tears.

And before they knew it, Team Rocket was gone, and so was Ash.

* * *

><p>Another chapter done! I really like this one and I hope you all do too. But it doesn't end here!<p>

Until next time...


	20. Chapter 20: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Hello everyone! Once again I bring you another chapter! I wonder...how do you think this story will end? I'm getting so excited, especially since I don't even know exactly how I will end this...oh well guess we'll have to find out together!

Disclamer: Once again I do not own Pokemon and blah blah blah...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20: And The Truth Shall Set You Free!<strong>

The sun began to rise fully now. It created shadows along the freshly damp grass from the morning dew. A brand new day was here but there was hardly any cause to enjoy it, at least not for Ash's friends. Just moments before, Ash was taken by Team Rocket, a somewhat forceful takeover that he had to do to save his friends and his mother. Now there stood Delia, frozen solid, refusing to comprehend exactly what just happened. It wasn't just her everyone had the same shocked look, as if they were in a bad dream. Then something happened that forced everyone back to reality:

Misty fell to her knees.

She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her face. She opened her mouth to cry out in frustration, but nothing came out. Dawn and May ran to her, wrapped their arms around her, and began to cry as well. Finally in desperation to let more out she beat her knees with her fists. She was in too deep despair to speak, at the moment it was all she could do.

Pikachu, who was also crying now, put his paws on her knees. Misty looked at him for a moment, then without warning, she reached out and grabbed him, and held him close.

Delia began to cry now too, and she was the first to speak.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry—about everything."

Everyone looked at her.

"It's my entire fault…"

She cried harder and buried her face in her hands. Brock came over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Ms. Ketchum, please don't blame yourself for this…it's not your fault."

"Yeah, Brock's right, you did all that you could, we all did, but in the end there was nothing we could've done," Tracy agreed.

Delia just shook her head, "No, you all don't understand…I'm guessing Ash didn't tell you…" She lifted her head up and said, "Please I'll tell you all everything, but we should eat breakfast first."

The next thirty minutes or so had found Delia and the others at a small coffee shop. Despite everyone's protests, she insisted that everything would be fine and had led them into the city. Fortunately they were not given any strange looks, apparently they were thought of as another group of criminals desperate to escape their former lives.

The group had sat in silence waiting for Delia to speak. They were sitting at one of the outside tables that overlooked the ocean. May and Dawn were still comforting Misty, who had taken Ash's hat off and was tracing the stitches with her finger. Brock and Tracy were sitting next to Delia, and Pikachu was next to Misty, tears slowly falling from his face.

Delia took a sip of her coffee then began, "I suppose it's best to tell you all right away—I was the one giving Ash all the information he needed to come here."

This took everyone by surprise.

"But-but how…?" May asked.

Delia sighed, "I—I was once a part of Team Rocket."

"What?" everyone shouted. Even Misty had snapped out of the trance she was in.

Delia sighed again, "I suppose it's best if I should start from the beginning." She smiled weakly.

"My parents were also a part of Team Rocket— in fact that's how they met. They were partners. They realized they were in love, had gotten married, and eventually left Team Rocket. The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni's father, had been deeply upset about all of this. He wanted to teach my parents a lesson: to think before you leave such a dangerous group. Well, when I was about five, him and his group came into our house one night.

My parents begged for mercy, even promising that they would rejoin, but…they were killed. I was about to meet the same fate, but I was spared, somewhat. He had other plans for me." Delia shuddered but didn't lose her momentum.

"It turns out that he had been planning for a long time an experiment to gain members: he would take children, some even younger than I was, and incorporate them into Team Rocket. By the time they would get old enough, there would be no way out for them—this organization would be all they've ever known—it would be useless to do anything different.

I had ended up being the first test subject, and despite the fact that it ultimately failed when I left, for the most part it was a success. Giovanni was also one of those test subjects, and in fact from the moment we met we were betrothed to each other. We were set to be married and take over the organization when we got older." Delia sighed and then smiled.

"But it didn't work out that way. When I was 17, I met him—Ash's father. I have to admit he was cute, but he was my enemy and I was sworn to defeat him!"

"Did you ever beat him?" Dawn asked.

"Ash's father was a strong pokemon trainer, and he eventually became a pokemon master, so of course he gave me plenty of trouble. Not once did I beat him and nothing pissed me off more! But somehow, overtime, I fell for him." It was obvious that Delia was blushing now.

Misty thought it was cute that all this time she could still blush over someone who was long gone. She asked, "What was your relationship like? Love at first sight?"

Delia laughed, "No way! In fact…I would have to say…it was a lot like Ash and you!"

Misty shuddered and everyone laughed.

"Yep, we hated each other, but after a while we grew on each other, and then…I left Team Rocket when he asked me to marry him. Giovanni was very angry, but I never thought that he loved me the way I had loved him. Ash's father said he would protect me, so we moved to Pallet and I changed my name for a while. After I had gotten pregnant with Ash, I made a grave mistake—I let my guard down—I changed my name back. At eight months…that's when it happened…" Delia's eye's began to fill with tears but she kept going, "Giovanni came in, with his bodyguards beside him, and were about to massacre us both. My beloved husband stepped in, saying that he would gladly take his life in exchange for mine." Delia began to shake now, just like Ash when he was at the hospital.

"And that's what happened. I cried with him in my lap, shielding his body with my own, and I could hear his final words to me:

"Name him Ash for me, my love."

I couldn't help but laugh a little, he always had a big head at times, but I cried even harder. Giovanni was about to kill me but…there was something in his eyes…I couldn't place it but…but he didn't kill me. He just left—he left me there with my beloved's dead body in my arms. I cried and begged for death right there, but then I remembered Ash. I had to be strong for him. But I never could. As time went on, and especially as I saw more and more of Jo in Ash, i-it just got very hard for me…and now…Giovanni has finally taken his revenge against me. I knew this would happen, but in the end, I knew there was nothing I could do…all I could do was wait for it."

More tears streamed down her face and she could feel Brock's hand on her back comforting her. "Thank you. I'm so sorry for all of this." She blew her nose into a tissue.

"Was…was Jo his name?" Tracy asked.

Delia smiled, "Oh that's right, I didn't explain it properly did I? Jo is short for Jonathan, Jonathan Ketchum. Ha ha ha, you see, he didn't want such an obvious name like John or Johnny, he was always original. In fact so original that people used to call him the phoenix."

"The Phoenix?"

"You see, Jo loved fire type pokemon, although he had others, but fire pokemon kept a special place in his heart." Delia smiled again. "So it makes perfect sense that Ash has this certain name, of course you all know the legend of phoenixes right?"

Brock nodded, "When they die, they are reborn out of their own ashes."

"Now you see Jo's big head?" She laughed.

"Hmm, reminds me of someone," Misty thought aloud.

"That must have been surely horrible for you, Ms. Ketchum, to go through that whole ordeal," Tracy said.

Delia nodded, "It's my fault…and now Ash has to pay for it…and there's nothing I can do."

Everyone held their heads down and sighed. It pained them to lose their best friend, especially one who brought them all together. If it wasn't for Ash, this group would've most likely never met each other. Misty stared at Ash's hat, looked at everyone around her, and then finally looked at Pikachu—who had been awfully quiet this entire time.

_Could this really be the end? What more can we do? Will we ever see Ash again? _His face instantly popped in her mind.

She shut her eyes and before she knew it she blurted out: "No! It can't end this way!"

Everyone looked at her, snapped out of their thoughts.

"What do you mean Misty?" May asked.

She broke into a smile and said, "I mean we're going to get Ash out of that place, we're not going to leave him this way!"

"But how can we?" Dawn asked, "There's no way we could."

"I don't know how, but we can't just do this to him! Ash would never leave us like this, he wouldn't give up—he would keep trying! If there is anything I learned from him is that you never give up, and we have to keep trying until we succeed!"

"But how?" Tracy asked again.

Then Delia had a thought, "We might be in luck. If I remember correctly, Team Rocket would have its annual induction ceremony tonight. We play our cards right, we might be able to get in without getting in trouble."

Misty grinned from ear to ear. "And that, my friends, is your answer." She picked up Ash's hat and placed it on her head, then looked at Pikachu. "Pikachu, are you ready to save Ash?"

Pikachu nodded happily in approval.

"Good, 'cause we're going to be in for a showdown!"

* * *

><p>Later on that night Misty was more than just pumped, she was completely estatic, even though every part of her was telling her that she should be scared out of her mind.<p>

_Is this how Ash feels whenever he does something crazy and reckless?_

She giggled to herself.

_Well then, I guess I've become Ash Ketchum._

She adjusted his hat on her. Perfect. The rim of it was just below her eyes which hid her face well along with the reddish-gold strands of her hair.

She looked down to try and convince herself of what she was wearing: a Team Rocket uniform. It was black with white trimming, especially on her sleeves and the hem of her skirt. She also wore white boots with a black rim around the top. The only thing that didn't complete her outfit was Ash's hat, which she decided she wouldn't take off unless he wanted her to. She tied her hair back in a fierce knot with a white hair tie.

_I know you hate me in a ponytail Ash but you're going to have to deal with it tonight._

She smiled. She still couldn't believe she was going to rescue Ash, the very man she loved, the one who usually did all the hero type stuff. Now it was her turn.

"Misty! Are you ready?" Misty turned slightly at May's voice.

"Coming!" she yelled back.

She knew she shouldn't be shocked to see everyone else in a Team Rocket uniform but she was still surprised when she came out. May and Dawn were pretty much wearing the same outfit as her, but with small changes to the length of the shirt and skirt here and there. Brock and Tracy were wearing a traditional male Team Rocket uniform, but instead of mostly black with white trimmings it was white with black trimmings. All of their uniforms had the letter R on the front, but for the women it was in purple, for the men it was in red.

Misty giggled. "You guys look funny."

"Well you look exactly the same," Dawn retorted back.

"I hate these pants they are way too tight," Brock sighed, trying to stretch the fabric a little, "I wish they had a bigger size."

Tracy laughed, "I guess you picked up a little weight, huh?" Brock only rolled his eyes and sighed again.

"I'm sorry, Brock those were the best pair I could find on such short notice," a voice spoke from the darkness. The figure turned out to be Ash's mom, in the same Team Rocket uniform as the rest of the girls, but the thing that set it apart the most:

"Purple hair? Where did you get that Ms. Ketchum?" Misty asked.

Delia just smiled. "Well, I guess we should get going now, right?"

It turns out there was a huge crowd gathering for the entrance ceremonies, so it was easier than expected to sneak in unnoticed.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this many people!" Dawn looked around amazed.

"Well, Team Rocket is a powerful and well known organization, people from all over the world join every year," Delia answered back, "Just be sure for you all to be careful." Then Delia disappeared in the crowd, unable to be recognized in a sea of white and black.

The people were gathering towards the main room, a big spacious dining hall wide a stage in the center. Everything was oddly decorated in white, from the tablecloths to the red and white banners and graffiti welcoming the new members. There were about 200 tables all throughout the room, but somehow Misty and the others had managed to get a table together, which worked out perfectly for planning their strategy.

"This has to work right Misty?" Tracy asked.

Misty nodded, "We have no other choice. It has to." Just when the anxiety seemed to reach the breaking point, the lights flipped off and the silhouette of Giovanni could be made out.

"All rise for Master Giovanni!" A voice bellowed. Everyone had no choice but the stand up and clap for their new leader.

"It's show time," Misty whispered.

There on the stage stood Giovanni surrounded by three bodyguards and one of them held Ash at his right side. Giovanni smiled before his subjects, "How pleased I am to see you have all made it here!" He laughed.

"For six months you have all trained vigorously, readying your minds, bodies and spirits for this moment: when you all shall become proud members of Team Rocket! You all have been waiting for this moment and some of you may wonder why—just what exactly is that moment? Well then let me tell you, this is the moment you all have been dreaming of. The want for power, for glory—the need to be feared and respected! That is what we all hope for, to be the best the world has ever seen, and we will—for it is the world who is weak and we must show them how strong we are! Soon, we will take our aim at various regions, hoping to cast our power around the world and make them bow down to us. Soon the whole world will be at our feet, ours for the taking, ours to make it a better world—a better world for Team Rocket! We are approaching a new dawn, a future that will be so bright for us everyone will gather in our name—gather in the name of Team Rocket!"

People seemed to be impressed his speech, no matter how selfish and evil it seemed, because everyone began to clap and cheer. At that moment, a young girl had risen up on the table of food and attempted to gain the attention of everyone in the audience.

"I can't believe you all are foolish enough to listen to this! Can't you all see that what this man says is a bunch of nonsense?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to stare at the young woman.

The girl smiled, "Your so-called leader Giovanni has cared about no one but himself, and that's what Team Rocket has always been about—him!"

If eye daggers could kill Misty would've surely been dead by now, but she stood unfazed by their looks, "I suggest you all get out while you still can now before he kills you all! Giovanni, you may think you have the world in the palm of your hands, and that we are all the pawns in your dominating chess game, but you're sadly mistaken. Because for all of those you curse with your venomous power more will rise—and show you for exactly who you are—a coward who hides behind his army!"

"Foolish woman! Who do you think you are?" Giovanni bellowed. "Show your face to me, you who dares to challenge my words and my authority!"

The spotlights had moved off of Giovanni and gradually made their way to the assumed traitor. His eyes widened, "Well now, who do we have here…" He quickly grabbed Ash by the shoulders and forced him to look at Misty, "I do believe this woman is breaching our contract, isn't she Ash? Tell me do you recognize this woman?"

Ash had his head down the entire time until he heard the woman's voice, of course knowing who it was immediately but never knowing she could speak so well.

Ash played ignorance to protect her, "No, I've never seen her before."

"Really now," Giovanni answered, "Well then I guess you don't mind if we kill her now, do you? Everyone take your aim, kill the bitch!"

Everyone readied their pistols.

"No!" Ash yelled.

Misty just smiled, "You're going to need more than that to take me down, Giovanni! Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu seemed to spring forth out of nowhere and used his attack, which not only took out all the rockets and their guns, but also the lights as well. One of the bolts of lightning struck between Ash and Giovanni and they ended up separating.

"Damn you," Giovanni cursed, "Everyone grab that woman! Kill her!"

But Misty was already grabbed by May and Dawn, and at the same time, Ash was being taken by Brock and Tracy.

"No, stop!" Ash yelled into the darkness, "Let me go, I have to save Misty!"

Brock and Tracy struggled with him until they were out in the hallway, then Brock said, "Ash stop it's us! Calm down!"

Ash heard the voice and stopped. He didn't believe it until he turned around and saw Brock and Tracy standing behind him.

"Brock! Tracy!"

They both smiled. "You didn't think we would really leave you here to die, did you?" Tracy asked. They grabbed him and began to run through the hallway, despite his protests to stop and look for the others.

"Ash, we don't have time for that!" Tracy yelled.

"Don't worry I'm sure they will catch up," Brock replied. And sure enough, Ash turned a corner and ran head first into Misty.

"Ow…" Ash said, rubbing his head.

"Ash?"

"Misty!"

"I'm so glad you're ok!" They both shouted.

They both hugged each other—maybe a little too tightly. Misty could hear May and Dawn giggling behind her and she nearly threw him off, trying to hide her blush in the process.

The next thing she knew Ash began to yell, "Misty are you crazy? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"Hey I was just trying to help alright? Quit yelling at me!"

"That was still reckless you know," his voice getting lower, "don't you know how worried I was…"

Misty looked and saw his sincere face. _He really was worried…_

"Ash, I only did what you would do for me. I…I was worried about you too…" she murmured.

Ash's eyes widened. _She was really worried?_

"Misty…" he began but Brock cut him off.

"Listen guys this is sweet and all, but don't forget that we are currently being chased here! Let's go!"

With that everyone began to take off again, but then Ash had another concern. "Guys, where's my mom?"

Everyone froze. They couldn't leave her, but she had disappeared once they entered the building.

Ash sighed. "Alright I think I know where she is, come on."

Ash had led them around many corners until they all finally ran into some rocket members at the end of the hallway.

"There they are! Get them!"

"Pikachu thunderbolt!"Ash and Misty ended up yelling at the same time. It didn't matter too much, Pikachu still shocked them all before they got any closer.

Ash looked at Misty and narrowed his eyes, "That's my line, you know."

Misty laughed nervously, "Ooops, it's like a habit now sorry, aha ha ha…"

Nevertheless they ran through more hallways, and left more rockets smoldering in Pikachu's electricity. Finally they turned a corner that led to a flight of stairs leading to the basement.

"Yes! There it is! Hopefully she's still there," Ash smiled. He began to head down but was stopped short by an electric attack.

He yelled and stumbled back to the ground. "Aaaahhh, that didn't feel good."

Misty knelt next to him, "That wasn't Pikachu was it?"

"Pika!" (Duh!) He shook his head.

"But…then who—" May's thought was broken by a happy looking Raichu making its appearance by jumping happily on Ash.

"Rai-rai-rai!" In his daze Ash couldn't believe he recognized this Raichu.

"Rai Rai is that you?"

Then a woman came out with a bag in her hands. "Ash it's you!"

"Mom!" He was so relieved to find her safe and sound.

"Wow, Ms. Ketchum, is this your Raichu?" Dawn asked.

Delia happily smiled, "Yep this is my pride and joy." Raichu jumped on her shoulder. "Haven't seen him a while though, I thought he wouldn't recognize me at first, I managed to get him from Professor Oak before we came here." Raichu nuzzled her cheek.

"Ha ha ha, I'm glad he recognized you, Ash, you two haven't seen each other in years."

"Ha! How could I forget Rai Rai! He was one of the first pokemon that inspired me to be a trainer." Ash looked around, "But anyway we should get out of here."

"Ash, I managed to find your pokemon," she slung the bag over her shoulder, "It wasn't too hard they were all in a bag with your name on it," she laughed.

Once again they sped off through the hallways, frantically looking for an exit.

"There they are! Grab them!" more Rockets started heading towards them.

"Pikachu…"

"Raichu!"

"Thunderbolt attack!" They yelled.

Just like that, Pikachu and Raichu became an unstoppable pair of electric rodents.

"Hey, you know, I think Raichu is a little stronger than Pikachu," Tracy observed.

"Who cares, I'm just glad they're on our side!" Brock laughed.

After a few more minutes of running Delia finally noticed a way out.

"There it is!" She said happily. She sped forth but it seemed like things were happening in slow motion.

She ran towards the door but Giovanni stepped out before she could get there. She saw everything: his smile, his men behind him, him pulling out his gun. He began to aim but then her instincts kicked in. She began to slide to the ground on her knees, landing at his feet, while at the same time she brought out her gun and aimed it at him.

Everyone stopped. Time stood still. The world around them was long gone; all that was left was Delia and Giovanni, taking aim at one another.

"Well, Delia," Giovanni whispered, "here's your chance…kill me…"

Delia's hand began to shake but she looked determined. "Why haven't you shot me yet, Gio," she said back, "Don't tell me you're scared?"

Giovanni chuckled slightly, "I haven't heard that nickname in a while, and for your information, it's been a while since I've been scared of anything."

Delia smiled, knowing that he hadn't changed one bit. Then she heard a yell.

"Mom!"

"Raichu rai!"

Still she didn't take her eyes off him, she knew better than that, and so she didn't answer her son's call. She looked in Giovanni's eyes and he looked back at her.

She had a feeling this would be the end, yet she smiled, "Gio, I shall take you down with me."

Giovanni smiled, all he could do was nod. "On three…"

"One…"

They took the safety off their guns.

"Two…"

They took aim for the head.

"Nooo! Stop Giovanni! Take me not her!"

Delia's eyes widened. Giovanni slowly took his aim off Delia and looked at Ash. "You would willingly do that…for your mother?"

Ash nodded, tears forming in his eyes, "I would gladly give my life for hers."

"Ash no!" Misty yelled.

Ash ignored the voice behind him.

Giovanni looked at Ash, then back at Delia, who now slowly began to cry. "What's the matter, Delia? This brings back old memories for you? Oh that's right, how could I forget, that's exactly what your husband said before he died wasn't it?"

Ash moved a step forward, "You…knew my father?"

Giovanni laughed, "Knew him? I could care less for him! I took pleasure in killing him."

Delia cried harder and Ash's eyes were filled with mixed emotions. "You…you killed my father…?"

Giovanni laughed harder, "That's what I said, he thought he could be the hero, so I shot him—right in front of your eight-months-pregnant mother."

He looked down at Delia, "You never told him huh? What an idiot your husband was! It felt good to kill his ass!"

That's all it took for Ash to completely lose it. He charged toward Giovanni, at least he started to until he was held back by Misty and Brock.

"Ash don't!" Misty yelled.

"Ash, remember he still has his gun pointed at your mother," Brock said calmly.

"You have to calm down Ash!"

"Calm down? How can I calm down, Misty, he killed my father!" Ash yelled.

"If you don't stop he's going to kill you and your mother too!" She yelled back.

Ash fell to his knees. He never felt so helpless.

_That bastard! He killed my father and has the nerve to brag about it! Just when I thought he couldn't get lower… _

"You sick freak, it makes you happy doesn't it? Knowing that you ruined a family's life makes you happy? You have the nerve just to stand there, with your gun at my mother, and tell her that her husband was a fool? He was a man—which is more than what I can say for you!"

Ash stood up, still being held back by his two closest friends and said, "You think you're so tough, you think you can call yourself a man? A real man doesn't take his frustrations out on a woman! So come on tough guy, shoot me! You want to prove yourself—shoot me!"

Misty shook her head_. I've never seen him this angry…he's lost it I have to do something!_

Giovanni looked at Ash, then back at Delia—who was still crying—then back at Ash. He smiled and took his aim at Ash. "Well, Delia, you heard it, he wants to die for you. I think it's admirable."

Delia quickly got up and stood in front of Ash, her gun still pointed.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Ash yelled behind her, "Get out of the way!"

Delia shook her head, "I won't let you die I love you far too much for that. Besides you have your whole life ahead of you, you promised to be a pokemon master remember?"

"You think I care about that right now? Mom, I…" Ash was amazed that he was actually calming down, I guess the fact that he was talking to his mom and not Giovanni did that to him.

"It's ok…I'm fine just like this…please, don't worry for me…" She tried to blink back the tears but couldn't. "Giovanni, let's do this!"

"NO!" Ash struggled harder, but Brock had a tight grip on him.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned around to look at Misty.

"Now, what do you want?" Giovanni snarled.

Misty stepped forward in front of Ash, "It doesn't make you much of a man either to hide behind your gun and your petty little army," she smiled at successfully getting the group behind Giovanni riled up.

"What?" Giovanni growled.

"It's just like I said before, you're so used to hiding behind others you don't know what's it's like to be a leader—people like Ash and his mom—how can people look up to you if you're always behind them?"

Giovanni pointed his gun at her. "You got some nerve challenging me again girl, you must want to test me really bad."

Misty could hear Ash whisper her name worriedly but she just smiled. "I haven't challenged you yet. I want to prove your worth, Giovanni, I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition for me?" He laughed, which spread like wildfire through his team.

Misty only retaliated, "I don't find it very funny. You're supposed to set an example remember, I would carry myself better."

Giovanni sent her a death glare. "Keep this up and I'll shoot you. Or should I just do it right now—what do you guys think?" He smiled at a crowd full of approval.

"Come on kill the bitch already!"

"This is taking too long!"

"Go for it sir!"

Misty laughed and shook her head, her hands on her hips. "You still don't get it. You're still hiding. You've forgotten what's it like to be a real leader but don't worry I'll show you. Giovanni, I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

Everyone gasped, and even Delia almost dropped her weapon.

"You…what?" He stammered out.

"You heard me, a pokemon battle, you and me."

Giovanni laughed again, the gang exchanged worried looks, Misty sighed, and she could've sworn Ash said something.

"I'm serious Giovanni, what are you afraid to challenge me?"

This caused the feared leader to stop laughing. "You got some nerve girl, but you know what…I like it."

He put his gun up for the first time and stepped forward, "Put your gun away, Delia, you know how I hate being near a woman with a weapon."

Delia slowly drew back her weapon, still not taking her eyes off him.

"Alright then, surely you want something for your trouble don't you?"

Misty smiled, "Damn right I do! Here are the rules: if you win…you get to kill me."

"Misty no!" Ash spoke up.

"But," she continued, "If I win…you will have to disband Team Rocket."

This received another round of nervous murmurs.

Giovanni obviously couldn't help but think for a moment.

"Don't tell me you're not going to accept, Giovanni. I thought you wanted to prove how good of a man you are, how good of a leader you are…after all these people look up to you don't they? What kind of leader would you be if you dropped out of a challenge?"

Giovanni smiled, knowing he was being set up for this but had no choice but to accept—he hated to admit it but Misty had backed him in a corner. "Alright little lady, I accept you're challenge. I didn't want to beat you so badly but remember you asked for this."

"Ha! Are you forgetting that I'm a gym leader? And as the gym leader of Cerulean City, I haven't lost a match in six months!" Misty said confidently, fire burning in her eyes.

"Wow, six months that's impressive," May whispered.

"Not only that, I don't think anyone has ever done that before, at least not in the Kanto region," Brock whispered back.

Giovanni smiled. "I am well aware of your skills. Don't forget I was once a gym leader as well. Since you wanted this let's go all out for our fans and make this a six- on- six match. Fine with you?"

Misty nodded.

"Fine, then meet me in my arena," Giovanni and his crew laughed as they all walked away.

"Misty, you have lost your mind have you?" Ash said to her, "Don't you know he's going to kill you whether you win or lose?"

"At least I would have felt fulfilled by doing this," Misty laughed, "After all if I'm going to go out I want to do it in style, not just stand here and wait for it."

"But…Misty…"

"Ash look at me," she turned around to face him, "look in my eyes." She looked in his eyes and almost regretted it—she could tell he was afraid to see her die.

_I wonder if he's thinking about that dream he had..._

Nevertheless she grabbed his shoulders, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," he answered.

"And you know me right?"

"Yes."

"Do you doubt me?"

"No. But I-I don't want to see you die," he said, fear beginning to cloud his eyes.

Misty smiled. "I won't Ash remember you said you trusted me."

"I trust you it's him I don't trust."

"I'll be fine, I promise you, and I'm good at my promises too you know."

Ash smiled, and placed his hand on her cheek. Misty wasn't expecting this but tried hard not to shudder against it.

"Misty…just…be sure to kick his ass."

Misty nodded and pumped her fists in the air, "Ha! You know I will! I won't go down easily!"

* * *

><p>I remember I kept laughing about Misty all throughout this chapter. She really knows how to push someone's buttons! Anyway the battle between Misty and Giovanni will be epic I'm sure of it. This was kind of inspired by the manga Pokemon Adventures, which I'm a bit sad to say I just started reading for the first time ever a few days ago. It is completely amazing and I'm on chapter 41 so far. Well I hope you all enjoyed it and who do you think will win the match of the century?<p>

Until next time...


	21. Chapter 21: Giovanni vs Misty

Hello everyone! A present for you! I've been working on the ending but I can't find anything that fits so if you guys have any suggestions I'm all ears! Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Disclamer: Once again I come to say I do not own Pokemon...sadly.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: Giovanni vs. Misty: Part 1<strong>

Giovanni's arena seemed just like any other. There were stands hovering above the field, which were occupied by all the rocket members, and on either side there were places where a competitor's friends could sit and cheer him or her on. The field itself was the regular brown dirt, marked with white lines to show where the out of bounds marks were. Misty and her friends came in and immediately felt small by all the rockets around them. But she felt comfort that she wasn't alone. She stepped up to her spot and placed her bag down.

"Well I'm glad you finally decided to show up," Giovanni said across the field, "I thought you had all escaped on me."

Misty smiled, "Humph, well unlike you Giovanni I'm not just all talk. Let's do this already!"

Giovanni gritted his teeth. _Impudent wretch. I'll show her for ever provoking me!_

One of Giovanni's men made himself the referee. "Are both of you ready?"

They nodded.

"Well then," he brought his hands down, "begin!"

"Challengers first, little one," Giovanni said.

"Alright, let's start off slow, go Starmie!"

The purple starfish came out dancing, all raring to go.

Giovanni smiled, "This will be a quick match—you made a foolish mistake having nothing but water pokemon!" Giovanni called on his Magnezone.

"Damn, starting out strong already, huh?" Brock said.

"This is bad, Starmie is completely weak against electric types," Tracy pointed out.

"Pika…"

Pikachu looked at Ash, who smiled. "Don't worry buddy, Misty has spent years preparing for situations like this. Her pokemon aren't exactly the normal water types."

Misty smiled_. Nothing less from Leader Giovanni._

"Starmie, tackle attack!"

"Show them a real tackle, Magnezone!"

Both pokemon headed straight for each other.

Just when Magnezone got close however, Starmie quickly dodged.

"Water gun!" Misty yelled.

The Magnezone was pushed back a little, actually surprised that it took some damage.

"Ha! Idiot! Magnezone use thunderbolt!" Magnezone's thunderbolt had cracked the ground beneath it as it headed straight toward Starmie.

"Dodge it, Starmie!" Misty yelled again.

This had continued for a few minutes, until Misty finally noticed it—his Magnezone is slow.

"Your Starmie can't keep dodging forever and you know it! Double Team!" Giovanni commanded. One Magnezone became about a dozen and they all surrounded Starmie. It couldn't run anymore.

"Now use thunderbolt!"

_Got him, _Misty thought.

She smiled and said, "Gyro Ball!"

Before Magnezone could use its electric attack, Starmie countered, spinning quickly and releasing bright blue balls of energy from its gem. Each hit one of the fakes until the real Magnezone was hit. This nearly sent it into a wall.

"What the hell?" Giovanni cried out.

"Giovanni, your Magnezone might have the type advantage but I have the speed advantage! Use swift!" Bright stars had come from Starmie and hit Magnezone dead on. "Ice beam!"

"Mirror coat," Giovanni countered. Magnezone had made a barrier that reflected the attack and sent it right back at Starmie with double the force and speed. Starmie couldn't dodge it.

"Starmie!"

Starmie was hit by the ice beam and was actually frozen solid. "Starmie try to break free!"

It tried but no matter how much Starmie shook it couldn't move at all and was now completely helpless.

Giovanni chuckled, "This is over, use Zap Cannon." Magnezone had gathered all its energy between its magnets and fired it right at Starmie. Starmie, like all of Misty's pokemon, were especially resistant to electric attacks, but since this was Magnezone's strongest attack, and Starmie still couldn't move to dodge it, all Misty could do was watch in horror as the attack hit, creating an explosion on impact.

"Starmie is unable to battle!" The referee yelled out.

The stands began to erupt in cheers. Giovanni smiled, "Realize you're in over your head yet?"

Misty smiled back. "I have not yet begun to fight!" She called back Starmie and released her second pokemon.

"Azumarill, it's your turn!"

"An Azumarill huh," Giovanni smiled, "You are such a stubborn woman." He released his beautiful Meganium.

"Dang, a grass type this time!" May sighed. "I bet he has nothing but pokemon who are strong against water types!"

"Well, no one said this was going to be easy," Dawn said.

Ash smiled. He knew Azumarill far too well and that even though this would be a tough battle, Azumarill could pull this off.

"Azumarill, start off with your water gun!"

Giovanni said, "The same old tricks will get you nowhere—Meganium, dodge and use body slam." Unlike Magnezone, Meganium was super fast, and nearly hit Azumarill with its body weight.

_I got to end this quick or Azumarill will be done for!_

"Azumarill, tackle attack!"

"Meganium, use your vines to reel it in then use your body slam!"

Misty smiled. _Just what I was hoping for._ "Quick, Azu, use focus punch!" Azumarill had used Meganium's pulling force for its own speed and forced all its power into a strong punch that sent Meganium flying.

Giovanni gritted his teeth, "Razor leaf."

"Dodge and use double team!" Azumarill was able to dodge and surround Meganium with its double team.

"I won't fall for this trick again; use your bullet seed until you hit the real one." Meganium shot seeds from its mouth and quickly hit its real target. "Now, poison powder." A purple mist began to sift from Meganium's leaves and began to cover the ground along with Azumarill.

"Azu, use your hydro pump on the ground, then double edge toward Meganium." Azumarill soared about fifteen feet in the air before it came down with full force on its opponent.

"Don't give it time to rest, Azumarill! Keep using focus punch on it." The tired little water pokemon used punch after punch in efforts to knock Meganium out, or at least knock him down enough for a final attack.

"Use vine whip to push it away then use solarbeam." Meganium managed to push Azumarill back enough to prepare for its solarbeam, which hit the unsuspecting Azumarill faster than normal.

"Azumarill!" Misty yelled.

When the dust had cleared everyone, even Misty, was surprised to see Azumarill not on the ground but in the air, dodging the solarbeam completely.

"Yeah, that's it Azu!"

"I don't believe this!" Giovanni shouted.

Both pokemon had nothing left—it was now or never.

"Azu, use blizzard!" Misty commanded. Blizzard had hit Meganium at full power, turning its leaves into ice, and pushing it back. "Finish it with your iron tail!" Azumarill came down from the air and hit its opponent once more, knocking it all the way back into a wall.

"Damn it," Giovanni replied as he bitterly returned his pokemon.

"Meganium is unable to battle, Azumarill wins."

"Hmph," Giovanni responded, "Well I guess you do have some talent—not much but some at least."

"Azu," Misty picked up and carried it in her arms. She could smell the poison from its body. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you to use that hydro pump fast enough, and you ended up getting poisoned anyway." Azumarill seem to nod in understanding. "You never cease to amaze me little one, you did really great out there, thank you."

"Misty you were great," Dawn replied.

"Yeah, I didn't think water types were that strong," May agreed.

"Well then this match should be a lesson to you—don't ever underestimate a water type!" Misty smiled with confidence.

Giovanni snarled again, "So what if you beat my grass type with a water type, that doesn't matter to me. What does matter is seeing the look on your face when you lose!"

Misty took a deep breath. This was going to be a long match.

She took out her next pokeball. "Let's win this one for Ash, ok?" she whispered.

"Go!"

Ash smiled, "Hey, its Corsola!"

Corsola began to jump waiting for her opponent.

"Oh yeah," Brock said—seeing another opportunity to tease Ash about Misty, "Isn't Corsola your nickname for Misty? She must have been thinking about you," he laughed, being successful at causing Ash to blush.

Giovanni released his next pokemon, which was another electric type.

"Woah I've never seen an Ampharos like that one before!" Tracy said, growing excited.

"What's so great about it, it's just from Johto," Ash said.

"That's not what I meant," Tracy had been taking sketches this entire time of the match, "I meant its color—Ampharos are usually yellow, but this one is purple."

"Hey, you're right," Brock agreed, "I wonder if the fact that it has a rare color would mean that it's a stronger pokemon…"

"I sure hope not, Misty doesn't need any more to worry about," May sighed.

"I guess I'll start first," Giovanni lifted his hand, "Ampharos tackle attack!" Ampharos proved to be just as fast as Meganium and hit Corsola with just as much force.

Misty grinned, "Corsola, show them a real tackle attack!" Corsola hit back with even more force than Ampharos, sending it straight into a wall. "Spike cannon!" Corsola was still on Ampharos which made this a hard close up hit. Corsola jumped back just in time to miss Ampharos's spark attack.

_Well now, looks like I made it angry._ "Corsola, ice beam," she said next.

Ampharos dodged all the attacks with ease and was closing in fast.

"Thunderbolt."

"Dodge it Corsola!"

And so it was thundershock vs. ice beam, which one would hit its target first? Ampharos eventually tripped on ice that was on the ground which allowed Corsola to make her move.

"Spike cannon then follow it with tackle." Again Ampharos was pushed into a wall.

"Thunderbolt damn it!"

"Mirror coat!" Unfortunately Ampharos wasn't fazed much by its own attack, even though it was at double the power.

"Use focus punch." Corsola dodged the first few times but was finally hit, knocking it back to Misty's feet.

"Don't give up Corsola, use ancient power!" Corsola had glowed a bright blue, then hit Ampharos with a strong tackle that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Now Ice beam!" The ice beam froze Ampharos legs to the ground, then without a command from Misty, Corsola used spike cannon to finish it off.

Giovanni gritted his teeth.

"Ampharos is unable to battle. Corsola is the—"

"You think I don't know that?" Giovanni yelled, causing the poor referee to shake in fear.

Corsola jumped up and down to celebrate her victory. "What's the matter, Giovanni? Don't tell me you're getting overheated? I have to admit, you truly didn't know what to do in that match at all—truly disappointing…" Misty laughed.

"Damn you! I will get you for mocking me!" Giovanni pulled out a pokeball then smiled, "I didn't really want to do this to you—since you're such a strong trainer and all—but screw it you pissed me off! You asked for this!" He released his next pokemon.

"Wow, a Luxray, I don't see enough of these!" Tracy began sketching it.

"Uh oh…" Ash whispered.

Delia turned to see her son frowning. "What's wrong honey?"

"Look closely at the Luxray," Ash started. "It has the same necklace Pikachu was wearing."

"Uh no, you're right!" Dawn said, "This is bad."

"Don't worry guys," May tried to reassure everyone, "I'm sure Misty can handle this."

_Corsola took a lot of damage in that last battle so I got to end this quick._ "Corsola, spike cannon!"

Giovanni didn't have to say anything Luxray disappeared as fast as lighting.

Corsola and Misty both looked around but it didn't take long to spot it. "Behind you!"

"Thunderbolt."

Corsola didn't have time to do much, thunderbolt hit with full power and sent Corsola all the way into a wall across from it.

"Corsola!"

"Corsola is unable to battle, Luxray wins."

The stadium erupted in cheers.

Misty, and everyone else, was in absolute shock.

_He took out Corsola…with just one hit… _

She returned it and smiled. "You did great old friend, thanks." She looked at Giovanni. "So this is what you have been hiding all this time, huh? Such a strong pokemon—is it because of the necklace it wears? Isn't that some form of cheating?"

"Now, now, Misty, you should know better than anyone that it's not illegal for a pokemon to carry or wear anything during a pokemon battle," Giovanni smiled, "It's ok if you want to back out now."

Misty laughed, "Back out? I'm just getting started Giovanni!" She held her pokeball, "You and your pumped up Luxray don't scare me one bit."

She released her Gyarados. "Let's see how tough Luxray really is."

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><p>And that's part 1! I hope you guys liked it and be sure to stay tuned for part 2. Be sure to let me know what you think of it. I'm a bit happy to say that I finally finshed the Yellow arc of Pokemon Adventures, which was completely awesome, now I'm starting on the Gold arc. I miss Red though...hahaha<p>

Until next time...


	22. Chapter 22: Vs Luxray

Hello everyone! I come with another chapter! Today is my birthday, and I won't tell you how old I am, but I want to celebrate in style. Anyways this chapter feels a bit rushed so I hope I did a good job on it. Let me know what you think and thank all of you guys for your suggestions on the ending. Keep them coming!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: VS. Luxray<strong>

"Brock you're the expert on this, what do you think?" Dawn asked.

Brock lifted his hand to his chin, "Well, type wise Giovanni still has the advantage, however we can't count out Misty. She's proven countless number of times that type doesn't matter."

"Nothing to worry about," Ash butted in, "After all, Gyarados is Misty's strongest pokemon."

"Gyarados hydro pump!" Misty yelled.

Although Gyarados was fast and powerful, Luxray was even faster, and every attack missed.

"Is that the best you can do? Luxray, thunder!" Giovanni yelled out. Gyarados also proved its speed by jumping high in the air to miss the attack.

"Your pokemon isn't the only one who's fast, Gyarados, flamethrower!"

Gyarados unleashed his flame as he was coming down towards the ground, but Luxray used his quick speed to appear behind him again.

"Gyarados, behind you!" Misty cried.

"Too late, use thunderbolt!" Giovanni commanded.

Gyarados was hit hard and crashed to the ground.

"Gyarados!"

Gyarados was down but far from out as it slowly got up. Misty breathed a sigh of relief.

_This isn't going to work; I can't beat it with power alone. First I have to lower its speed, _she thought.

"Gyarados, twister!"

Gyarados had spun around until a heavy dust cloud surrounded both Gyarados and Luxray.

"Nice try, Luxray, use thunderbolt to scatter the dust," Giovanni said confidently.

"Gyarados, mix your twister with a blizzard attack!"

This seemed to do the trick—Luxray's attacks were slowing down and it was also blinded by the storm.

"No way am I losing to another water pokemon! Luxray use hidden power!" He commanded again. Luxray yelled out its name and had radiated a bright yellow, and then its thunder could be seen surrounding the arena.

"Gyarados…" Misty whispered. "Gyarados use protect!" Gyarados put its shield up but it was quickly figured out that Luxray's attack had two purposes, to get rid of the wind and hail and to stop Gyarados from attacking. Once Gyarados's location was known it was easy to finish it off.

Giovanni smiled, "Luxray, thunder fang."

"Hyper beam Gyarados!"

Unfortunately Luxray still had its speed and was able to bite Gyarados in the back.

"Gyarados!" Gyarados hung in there but the electric attacks were beginning to take their toll.

_Damn it! I need an attack that will take out Luxray in one hit! C'mon Misty think, think! _Then she thought of it and smiled.

"Gyarados…you remember that attack you learned one day…when you had gotten really mad…remember?"

Gyarados nodded.

"Well, now, picture that day…I need you Gyarados, please save me!"

"There's nothing you or your Gyarados can do. Luxray thunder!" Giovanni ordered.

"Gyarados, outrage!" Misty yelled.

Gyarados was hit by another thunder attack but shook it off like it was nothing. Then…its eyes turned red.

"Outrage?" May questioned.

"It's one of a dragon pokemon's most strongest attacks, if not the strongest," Tracy explained, "The pokemon just goes crazy with a barrage of hits, usually until the opponent is knocked out, but it's very risky, since the pokemon who uses it becomes confused right after."

That's exactly what Gyarados did: first it froze some parts of the ground with its ice beam, keeping Luxray from moving very fast. Then it used a strong sandstorm to blind it and a fire blast came out of nowhere hitting it dead on. Luxray slammed into a wall. Then to finish it, Gyarados used hyper beam, which created a huge explosion.

Everyone looked toward the dust cloud, waiting to see a passed out Luxray, but were surprised when Luxray was still standing, able to protect itself at the last minute by using protect. Misty was at a loss.

_Gyarados's strongest attack, and Luxray uses freaking protect?_

She looked back at Gyarados to see it swaying in tiredness and confusion. There was nothing she could do.

"Luxray, hyper beam."

It was a weak one, but Gyarados was already wiped out, the attack was just adding insult to injury.

"Gyarados is unable to battle, Luxray wins," the grunt said proudly for his master.

There was another round of cheers from the crowd.

Misty stood there for a few seconds, trying to process the loss in her head, but couldn't figure it out. Slowly, she returned her best pokemon.

"You did…very well…no matter what happens…I haven't been more proud of you then I am at this moment." Misty hung her head down in sadness. _That's already two pokemon I lost to that damn Luxray! It even beat my Gyarados, my beloved Gyarados, like it couldn't take any pain at all!_

She sighed. _Just how powerful is this Luxray? Is it that necklace that's gives it so much power? Do I even stand a chance?_

Giovanni, as if reading her mind, said slowly, "Misty…you don't stand a chance."

He could see her eyes widen.

"Did you actually think you could do this? Did you actually think you could win? Fool, you never could, I was only humoring you! I have to admit you did a pretty good job of taking out my other pokemon, but Luxray is my best prize, it can't be beaten." He smiled, "Better say your goodbyes now, and apologize for once again being a murderer."

Both Misty and Ash looked up.

"You honestly thought I didn't know? Your parents were killed in that car crash do to your selfish actions. You should be ashamed Misty! After all…if it weren't for you…they would still be alive."

"That bastard! I wouldn't be surprised if he caused that crash," Dawn said.

"I'm afraid I have to disagree with you," Giovanni answered, "I assure you I had nothing to do with that unfortunate accident. However that doesn't change the fact that Misty was the one who caused it all."

"What would you know?" Ash yelled out, standing up in the process, but as he looked at her he could tell the damage had already been done.

Misty held her head down and was visibly shaking. To make matters worse the crowd was screaming at her.

"Loser, loser!" They taunted. But Misty heard something different: _murderer! Murderer! They're…I—I can't…_

She placed her hands on her head and tried to scream in agony but no noise came out. _M-Mother…Father…please…I—I can't take much more…_

She remembered the night she was at the hospital with her sisters—to see their bodies, she remembered her sisters crying, and Violet and her screams.

_This is all your fault! Look at what you've done!_

She began to cry as Violet's voice rang in her ears: _See what an idiot you are? You've gotten yourself into a mess and now you and your friends will pay the price for it. Are you happy? Are you satisfied with yourself? It's bad enough that you dug your own grave but now you killed your friends as well! You're such an idiot, little sister, you can't do anything right! You should just like, give up because you're just embarrassing yourself and everyone else along with you!_

_No, no you're wrong! You are wrong! Aren't you…?_ She could feel herself breaking again, falling into her own created darkness, with no way out. But just when she thought it was over, someone caught her, wrapped their arms around her, and whispered in her ear.

"Misty, stop. Stop and close your eyes."

It was Ash.

"Close your eyes Misty."

She wanted to know what he was doing but was unable to speak, so all she could do was obey him.

"Now, block out everything around you, all these voices—except mine—and focus on your breathing. Now who do you hear?"

Misty somehow found her voice, "I hear you, Ash."

"Good, good, now I want you to listen to me very carefully: you are a good person Misty. Everything that you have done, and everything you're doing now, is proof of that. You're strong enough not to care about what others say about you—don't you realize that's exactly what they want? They want you to give up on yourself because it will be that easier for them to take over you. You can't let that happen, Misty, you have to be strong. You may think that you're doing this for us but you're not. You_ need_ to do this Misty, because you have always secretly known that you were a weakling, afraid to face the world because you thought you would mess up, and then you would know that your sisters would be right about you. But you need this because you know if you defeat Giovanni then you and you alone would be in control of your life, and not even your sisters would be able to change that."

He turned her around to face him and put his hands on her shoulders.

"You need this because you need to have faith in yourself, just like we all do, just like I do. Don't you remember what I whispered in your ear?"

Misty suddenly realized it: Stay true to you.

"So Misty, open your eyes." She did this and looked up, surprised she wasn't blushing from the sight of being this close to him. He suddenly grabbed her hands and interlaced the fingers with his. "You can do this Misty, we all have faith in you, but the only question is: do you?"

Misty didn't know what to say, or what to think for that matter, Ash was actually giving _her_ encouragement—but then again, hadn't he always done that?

Giovanni meanwhile was growing impatient. "Hey, is this a pokemon battle or an x-rated movie? Are you ready to finish this or not? Choose your last pokemon!"

Misty nodded and let go of Ash's hands. "You know what, Ash," she looked at him now, "I can do this—I can stay true to me! For me! Stand back Ash and watch me win!"

Ash smiled and went back to his seat. _That's my girl. I have faith that you can do this Misty!_

Misty looked back at Giovanni, "Hey, you made two mistakes about me that you shouldn't have: one, you assumed this was my final match so you're underestimating me, and two, by underestimating me you are also underestimating my pokemon—and that is something you never do!" She pulled a pokeball from her belt. "I dedicate this match to a good friend of mine, because he has always been there, even when I least expect him to." He kissed her pokeball and tossed it, hoping for the best, and of course everyone was surprised by what they saw.

"Oh no," Brock said.

"I don't believe this," Tracy added.

"Hey it's…!" Dawn pulled out her pokedex.

"It's her Psyduck…" Ash finished.

Yep, her dopy Psyduck, the one Misty hardly ever uses in battle, was chosen voluntarily for the first time by his trainer Misty.

"Misty have you gone crazy!" Brock yelled, "You're Psyduck is…well…"

"Is what?" Misty shot back, turning to look at him, "Look you worry about yours and let me worry about mine! Besides, Psyduck is not the same duck you seen all those years ago!"

Brock had no choice but to shut his mouth and let Misty follow her own instincts.

_Don't you worry about a thing, Brock,_ she thought confidently, _if anyone can do this, it's Psyduck._

She looked back to Psyduck's usual demeanor, then looked at Giovanni, surprised to see him smile.

He laughed, "You idiot, do you honestly expect to win with that pathetic looking Psyduck? I bet it couldn't even find its way out of a pool let alone win this match!" His laugh caused a chorus of laughter throughout the tiny stadium.

Misty gritted her teeth, "Just keep laughing, you don't know the real power of my pokemon—we don't need some dumb necklace to defeat you!"

This got Giovanni irritated and he couldn't help himself. "Luxray, thunderbolt!"

Psyduck was shocked but remained unfazed. "Is that the best you can do, Luxray? Come on, what happened to all that power?" Misty taunted.

Giovanni gritted his teeth. "Tackle!" Luxray came fast and strong. By not taking much damage during the last match, Misty knew Luxray would be no easy task. But then again, Psyduck was no easy pokemon. It looked back at Misty who just nodded her head. Dust flew through the air as Luxray hit its mark. Everyone thought Psyduck was out but was surprised when Psyduck was seen in the air above Luxray.

"Hydro pump!"

A jet of water came out of Psyduck's mouth that was so strong it blasted Luxray all the way back to Giovanni.

"Whoa did I just see what I think I just saw?" Brock asked in disbelief.

"I don't get it, it was just hydro pump," Dawn said.

Ash smiled, "You see Dawn, Misty's Psyduck was never really the battling type, a few years back that move would have been worthless, but I guess Misty finally trained it since then."

Misty agreed, "Damn right I trained it and that's not all it can do! Fury swipes!" Psyduck actually seemed to show its claws and sped off toward Luxray. What surprised everyone was just how fast Psyduck was.

"Wow, I didn't know the duck had it in him," Tracy replied, making more sketches. Psyduck kept missing Luxray, which made it angrier and faster, until Psyduck's speed caught up with Luxray's and was finally able to hit it.

_Psyduck actually hit it! Wait…that gives me an idea…_ "Psyduck, focus punch!"

"You can't get me twice, thunderbolt." Luxray was gathering its energy when…

"Psyduck screech attack." Psyduck yelled out a loud pitched scream that caused everyone to cover their ears—except Misty.

"Luxray, try your thunder now," Giovanni commanded. Luxray charged up its energy again.

"Psyduck use blizzard then double team!" Misty said her counterattack. Psyduck just barely managed to stop Luxray's attack with blizzard then surrounded it with multiple copies of itself, all while still using blizzard. The attack surrounded Psyduck and Luxray and now Luxray's legs were getting frozen.

"Spark!"

"Focus punch!"

Misty was a bit surprised that Psyduck was actually faster, and its punch made direct contact.

"Keep it up Psyduck!" she yelled.

"Damn it Luxray get out of there! Use discharge!" Luxray tried for a counter attack but Psyduck was hitting it way too fast and wasn't able to recover fast enough. "Do something!"

"Psyduck hit its chest! Send it into the wall!" When Psyduck did this Misty was pleased to hear the sound of something cracking.

"D-don't tell me that was…" May trailed off.

"Did Psyduck just kill Luxray?" Dawn finished. Ash shook his head but wasn't real sure himself.

The smoke and snow cleared to show Luxray barely standing but something crucial was missing.

"No, you bastard!" Giovanni yelled, "You destroyed the necklace!" Sure enough, everyone looked to see the necklace on the ground completely broken in two.

"That's exactly what I was going for! If that necklace really does give your Luxray so much power then let's see how it is without it!" Misty beamed with confidence.

Everyone was shocked but the work was only half way done. "So you think you've figured out everything? Luxray, hyper beam."

Psyduck dodged this, but was grazed a little by it and fell to the ground.

"Psyduck, are you ok?" Misty asked. Psyduck weakly got up.

Giovanni smiled, "Just because you took the necklace off doesn't mean you won this. Luxray, use thunder fang."

Psyduck tried to dodge but eventually Luxray caught up with it and tackled it down.

"Psyduck hang in there!" Misty yelled as Psyduck screamed in pain. She thought that thunder fang would've made Psyduck's headache bad enough for a disable attack but was surprised when Luxray pulled back.

"I know all about Psyduck's abilities, so you can't get to me that easily," he smiled. "Finish it off—hyper beam." Luxray's mouth filled with electricity, effectively scaring Psyduck, and gathering up all of its energy for one final attack.

"Psyduck!"

"This is bad, Psyduck can't dodge this!" May said.

"Not only that," Brock agreed, "But if Misty loses this match…" he trailed off.

Delia hadn't spoken much throughout the match but she decided to do it now. "Ash, you must encourage Misty! She still needs you!"

Ash nodded. "Misty, don't give up! There's always a way! We believe in you!" Pikachu backed Ash up, saying something about using Psyduck's true power.

_There's only one way out of this…I only seen this move once but…_Misty took a breath. _I can't lose now!_ "Psyduck, I know you can do this! Hidden power!"

"Hyper beam now!"

There was a huge explosion as both attacks collided. "Psyduck!" Misty cried. She fell to her knees and sobbed. _I messed things up…now Psyduck is…_

"Misty, Misty look!" She heard Dawn yell. Misty looked up and couldn't believe her eyes. Hidden power had this time taken the form of a strong confusion attack. This attack not only pushed Luxray and the hyper beam back completely but caused a very powerful sandstorm attack—only made stronger by the fact that Psyduck had lifted its arms to the sky and raised the sand along with it.

Giovanni was at a loss. "T-try your thunderbolt." Luxray could only create small sparks due to its lack of energy, but each one was stopped by the sand attack, which grew more vicious.

"Luxray, tackle!" He commanded next. Luxray charged forward only to be stopped by Psyduck's confusion.

Even Misty was now at a loss for words. _Is this…Psyduck's true power…? _She clinched her fists on her knees. "You can do it Psyduck! I have faith in your power! Don't give up on me!" She squinted her eyes and could barely make out Psyduck's body. _Just what is it going to do now?_ Then she noticed the bright glow.

"Is that…?" Tracy asked.

"It couldn't be…" Brock trailed off again.

"Psyduck is evolving!" Ash yelled, standing on his feet. Ash was right, the sandstorm was put down, along with Luxray, and through the cloud of dust emerged Golduck.

"G-golduck?" Misty stammered.

_Psyduck's true power caused it to evolve? _

Golduck walked slowly past Luxray, who was still trying to get up, and over to Misty, who was still on her knees. It smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. Misty laughed.

"Well now, I suppose I can't call you a dumb duck anymore can I?" Golduck turned back around, still weary but ready for the next attack. Misty stood up. "Let's finish this Golduck!"

Giovanni's eyes narrowed, "This is far from over! Luxray, finish it with volt tackle!" Luxray surprisingly still had enough energy left for this attack and charged straight toward Golduck.

_Golduck doesn't have that much energy left so I have to make this count._

"Golduck, aqua jet, go for it!" Golduck surrounded itself in water and charged at Luxray with the last bit of energy it had left. Both attacks sped off toward each other at full force, both being weak it was hard to tell who would come out in the end. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as both attacks exploded on impact.

As the smoke cleared Misty bit on her fingernails. Pikachu began to cheer, which was a good sign, but both Golduck and Luxray were still standing.

"Damn, just how strong is that Luxray?" Brock growled in frustration. Both pokemon had their backs turned to each other, waiting for one to fall. They both turned around, and after what seemed like forever, Luxray gave Golduck a smile as it fell to the ground.

With a nodded from Giovanni, the referee called it, "Luxray is unable to battle, so Golduck wins." Rocket members were even clapping for that one. Misty was so shocked that she fell back down to her knees, and Golduck and Ash rushed over to help her up.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Misty slowly nodded. She looked just like she was the one doing all the battling. She reached out and hugged Golduck. "Honey, I couldn't have been more proud of you. I know you're tired, so take a good long rest." She smiled as she returned it.

"I guess Golduck earned the right to finally fight in your gym battles huh?" Ash laughed. Misty nodded and laughed along with him.

"I'm so happy, Misty won," Delia sighed happily.

"Yeah but…what happens now? It's been six matches but this battle is a tie," Tracy noticed.

Giovanni, thinking the same thing, cleared up everything. "Well, now Misty, I should congratulate you, after all you made it all this way, and you didn't manage to lose."

Misty smiled, "That's right Giovanni, so I guess you're happy now right? Since no one won, you don't have to disband Team Rocket."

"True, but I'm still curious. How about we have a tie breaker match?"

"A tie breaker match?" she repeated.

"We each choose one pokemon, it's as simple as that, the current deal still stands for the winner," he explained.

Misty was shocked. _Choose another pokemon? But which one?_

Most of Misty's pokemon were tired from the past six battles, there was another pokemon she had that she'd been meaning to test, but didn't think it was appropriate for a match like this. So that only left…

"Well then Misty, what do you say?" Giovanni asked.

In the end she didn't have much of a choice. She only had two extra pokemon with her, and both had never truly been in a real match. She could choose Corsola again but she didn't feel comfortable using a pokemon with only half its energy. She sighed and put her fingers through her hair. "Fine then, I accept your challenge, Giovanni."

Giovanni smiled.

"I wonder which pokemon, they both will choose, they can't have too many left," Dawn wondered aloud.

"True…this is going to be really tough," Brock said.

Ash looked over at Misty, who was smiling. "Ash, remember, you trust me right?"

"I trust you with my life, Misty," he answered.

Misty's eyes widened as she looked back at him, "Well then, in that case, let's win this honey!" She smiled and quickly grabbed his hand.

_Did she just call me…?_

"Giovanni, no matter what you to do us, you will never break our spirits or damage our bonds! We will fight you, Giovanni, to the very end!" Misty said with confidence showing in every word.

This match might have been the biggest one of her entire life, but she knew it wasn't over yet.

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><p>Yay Misty got her confidence! Challenging matches are so hard for some people, even in the anime Ash doubts himself sometimes, but it's nice to know that someone is always there to comfort you and give you spirit, even when you can't. But anyway now that Misty has her spirit back there's still one more match left...the tie breaker!<p>

Until next time...


	23. Chapter 23: The Final Battle!

Hello everyone! It seems like this week was never going to end, so I decided to post another chapter. So here it is, the final battle between Giovanni and Misty! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 23: Day of Darkness! The Final Battle!<strong>

Giovanni smiled. "Misty, I must congratulate you on getting this far. No one has ever got the privilege to face this pokemon in a long time. It is my strongest by far and you shall find it very hard to beat." He pulled out a pokeball. "No use in wishing you good luck, but I suppose it won't hurt."

Out came Golem, Giovanni's final and most powerful pokemon.

"But why choose a rock type? All of Misty's pokemon are water types," May asked.

"Th-that's…!" Delia stammered.

"Huh, what's wrong , you know this pokemon?" Tracy said, and then Delia nodded and tried to explain.

"I remember this pokemon; it was Gio's first from when he was ten. Of course it was a Geodude then but those two practically did everything together. I had battled it before I had left Team Rocket, and I thought he had gotten rid of it, but I guess I was wrong."

"So Giovanni's first pokemon was a Geodude huh?" Brock smiled. "Not bad, not bad at all."

"Be careful, Misty, this isn't a normal Golem! It's super powerful!" Delia warned.

Misty sighed. "Well, since I can't use Gyarados for this, I'll have to settle for the next best thing!"

She released Vaporeon, who she was still unsure of but felt good about overall.

"Why didn't you use Gyarados, I'm sure it's healed by now," Ash turned to her.

Misty smiled, "I can't take that chance, Ash, and I rather use a pokemon at full strength than at half. Besides," she looked to Vaporeon who was yawning and stretching, "I wanted to do this for you…a present…for just how much you mean to me." Misty blushed at him and Ash smiled back.

"Just be careful, Vapor is our pokemon, and this is her first battle so let's not push her so hard, ok?"

It felt weird for Misty to share a pokemon with someone else but knowing that someone was Ash just made her all the more determined. There was also the fact that she always wanted to battle with Vaporeon, from the first day they met she could sense potential, and she wanted to see just how much Vaporeon had. But still for it being its first battle she would have to take it easy, and if she felt Vaporeon couldn't handle it, she could still switch at the last minute for another pokemon.

"Well then let's get started," Giovanni smiled, "Golem tackle!"

"It's coming at you Vaporeon! Use water gun!" Misty was amazed at Vaporeon's quickness and power but of course it had no effect on Golem, who continued to charge forward. "Get out of there, Vapor!" Vaporeon luckily dodged just in time.

"Fool, did you honestly expect that to work?" Giovanni laughed.

"No but it was worth a try, right?"

Giovanni shook his head, "Foolish girl, I've had this Golem since day one, and like your pokemon are resistant to electric attacks, my Golem is resistant to water so those attacks won't work. Now Golem use rock throw!"

Golem gathered up all the rocks it could in the field and hurled them at Vaporeon.

"Dodge them!" Misty retaliated. Vaporeon once again showed its speed and not only missed all the rocks but was charging toward Golem. Golem flew into a wall.

"Wow, what a quick attack," she said.

"Uh, yeah I forgot to mention…" Ash smiled, "I had Vapor train with Pikachu for a few weeks before I gave her to you, so she might have a bit of Pikachu's speeded."

"A bit? More like a lot! And thanks for telling me this now, Ash!" She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Double edge," Giovanni said. Golem pulled itself from the wall and charged. Vaporeon missed the first hit but didn't expect Golem to come from behind.

"Vaporeon!" Misty yelled.

"Thunderpunch!" Golem was so fast that is was able to hit Vaporeon while still in the air, crashing it into the ground.

"Wow, a Golem that knows thunderpunch, how rare is that?" Tracy grew excited and made more sketches.

"What are you talking about?" May yelled, "This is bad, Vaporeon isn't immune to electric attacks like all of Misty's other pokemon!"

"Hang in there, Vapor!" Both Ash and Misty yelled. Vaporeon slowly got up and shook itself off.

"Are you ok, Vapor?" Misty asked.

Vaporeon nodded. Despite being shaken up it was still willing to battle.

"In that case, use quick attack!" Vaporeon shot like a rocket.

"Earthquake," Giovanni commanded. Golem jumped high, and then crashed to the ground, creating a ripple effect on the ground and stopping Vaporeon's movement. "Now, rollout."

"Hang in there Vapor, use Haze!" Now without any way to see where it was heading, Golem had no choice but to stop its pursuit. Thanks to Misty's water training, however, she was able to see right through it.

"Iron tail!" Misty was pleased that Vaporeon hit it and encouraged her to keep it up.

"Wow what a good strategy, Golem can't see a thing thanks to that haze, and it can't stop Vaporeon's attacks," Brock said.

"I guess you don't want to face Misty in a match any time soon huh?" Dawn laughed.

Brock nodded, "She is a formidable opponent."

Giovanni was getting irritated, "Flamethrower now!" A stream of fire could be seen shooting out of the mist, scattering it, and now Vaporeon and Golem were visible. "Double edge."

Golem ended up missing but quickly turned around and hit Vaporeon with another thunderpunch.

"Wow, flamethrower and thunderpunch? What's next?" Tracy asked. Soon he got his answer—a rollout attack came out of nowhere and hit Vaporeon as she was still trying to recover from the punch.

"Don't let up, Golem, hit it again." With Giovanni's command Golem hit Vaporeon again and again, barely giving it a chance to recover.

"Vaporeon!" Misty yelled. She didn't know a way out of this one. Fortunately Vaporeon did, it grew desperate and used double team. Since Golem didn't have a warning it ran right into one of Vaporeon's copies.

"Wow, didn't know Vapor could do that," Ash said. Then Vaporeon enveloped itself in water and took a sigh of relief. "What's that?"

"That's aqua ring! Ash, just how many attacks does Vaporeon know that we don't know about?" Misty asked, her anger rising.

"Uhh, what do you think, Pikachu?" Unfortunately Pikachu shook his head.

Misty sighed, "You boys are useless, Vaporeon, use ice beam!" Vaporeon also knew this attack and it was knocking Golem back slowly.

"Your Vaporeon may be strong but it's not strong enough, use rollout." Once again, Golem was a ball of energy waiting to crash into its target, all Vaporeon could do was dodge.

"Haze, Vaporeon!"

"Oh no you don't, sandstorm," Giovanni commanded next.

Sandstorm met mist with full force and they both ended up canceling each other. _Damn, well that didn't work, but maybe…_ "Vapor use double team then haze again!"

"You don't give up do you, sandstorm!"

Sandstorm proved strong at first but since Vaporeon was so strong and fast double team and haze worked perfectly, and the sand began to fade.

"Damn it, earthquake!"

"Dodge and use water gun!" Luckily the repetitive rollout attacks didn't slow Vaporeon down much and she was able to jump in the air.

"Hyper beam!" Golem struck quick, beating out hydro pump and smacking Vaporeon again with rollout before she hit the ground.

"Man you got to end this quick Misty, Vapor can't take much more," Ash noticed.

"I know but what else can I do? Every attack she does gets beaten, even type doesn't matter here." Misty sighed, running out of options.

"Think about it, Misty, Golem depends on the ground for most of its attacks, like rollout. So you have to take the ground out of the equation." Ash felt so smart right now, for once.

"Take out the—oh!"

"Finish it Golem, rollout!" Giovanni smiled, getting proud of his victory.

"I knew you would do that! Vaporeon use water gun on the ground!" Vaporeon used steady blasts of water on the ground, creating mud and bumps in the field that were impossible to pass through with rollout. It was because of this that Golem lost its momentum and hit every bump, not only that, but Vaporeon would occasionally use water gun on Golem as well, pushing it back even farther.

Giovanni looked on in amazement. "I…I don't believe this!" Golem was frustrated as well and finally gave up on rollout, only to find itself losing its footing on the wet ground.

"Now's your chance, Misty!" Dawn and the others cheered.

Misty smiled, "Iron tail!" Vaporeon also grinned, knowing that victory was hand, and began hitting Golem repetitively with iron tail attacks. Golem was stuck between trying to keep it footing on the wet ground, which wasn't working, and trying to recover as quick as it could from every attack, which also wasn't working.

"No, I won't let it end this way, Golem thunderpunch!" Golem tried its counterattack but to no avail—Vaporeon was just too fast for it, mostly due to the mud slowing it down.

Giovanni finally thought of something. "Golem aim your flamethrower towards the ground!"

Misty winced, having forgotten about this little detail. She was able to act quickly however, "Vapor, ice beam!" Golem was tired from its battle but it still had enough power to stop Vaporeon's ice beam.

"Damn, Vapor, get out of there!" It missed another one of Golem's thunderpunches just in time. Golem was able to warm up the ground a little, although it was still wet. Golem and Vaporeon were very tired unfortunately, both having exhausted all of their attacks, unsure what to do next. Misty and Giovanni also stood in a stalemate, both also wondering what to do next.

"This is bad, everyone is so evenly matched, and so tired, who knows what will happen next," Tracy whispered, visibly shaking.

"Hey don't worry, Misty will think of something," Brock patted his back to comfort him, but it barely helped.

Misty sighed. Vaporeon was using aqua ring again, which helped but not much, she needed something that could take out Golem in one hit.

Delia, still quiet, looked at Giovanni. There was such fire in his eyes, burning determination that she hadn't seen in a long time. Their eyes had met briefly and in that instant she remembered the man she fell in love with. "Gio…vanni…" She couldn't help it but her heart went out to him. A part of him was still with her after all.

Giovanni stood there mentally cursing himself. In the end, he thought he had this battle won, but…

_It doesn't matter anymore_, he thought, _I always win in the end._ "Golem, hyper beam, finish that girl off!"

Misty flinched, she had to have a good counterattack or it will all be over. "Vaporeon, use your quick attack, but use your aqua ring to cover yourself, hurry!" Vaporeon did just that heading straight into Golem and his hyper beam.

"This is it! The final attack!"

Everyone tensed at Brock's words.

Vaporeon rushed forward and hit Golem's hyper beam head on. "Your Vaporeon is foolish," Giovanni laughed, "I know that aqua ring was just a ruse to hide behind, once that barrier is broken nothing will stop my Golem!" Just as he said that, there was a big explosion, both Golem and Vaporeon were hidden in the dust.

"Vaporeon!" Misty cried out.

"Pika-pikaaa!"

When the dust had cleared Golem was the only one to be seen.

"Huh? Where's Vaporeon?" Ash asked. Then out of nowhere, Vaporeon popped up from under Golem with a swift tackle attack that no one saw coming. Everyone looked in awe as Golem came down to the ground, unable to get back up, while Vaporeon was barely hanging on, also on the verge of collapse. Giovanni stood there for a few seconds, trying to take it all in. He hadn't lost a battle in a long time, not since…he looked at Delia, who was also looking straight at him. Slowly he raised his arm to return his defeated pokemon, giving the referee the signal that the match was over.

"Golem is unable to battle, Vaporeon wins."

Misty still stood there in shock, not believing that she actually won. When she felt Ash shake her she was thrown back into reality and looked at him. Ash smiled at her then Vaporeon.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he said. Misty smiled then looked back at Vapor. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then collapsed.

"Vapor!" Both Ash and Misty ran to her.

"I'm sorry Vapor, I pushed you really hard, I didn't mean to but I had to win," Misty sighed with Vaporeon in her arms. Vapor woke up and licked Misty's face—her form of accepting her apology.

"You were great, Vapor," Ash smiled, "I never knew you had moves like that." The others came and congratulated Misty.

"That was a great match Misty!" Dawn said.

"The best match I've seen in a while," Tracy smiled.

"That was simply amazing! Congrats Misty!" May patted her on the back.

Misty looked back at her, "I would have to thank my pokemon, it was a very hard match, especially you, Vaporeon," she looked back at the tired pokemon in her arms and returned it.

It was then that Delia stepped forward, "Gio, you lost this match so you know the rules, now you have to honor it."

Misty agreed, "That's right, you have to let us go, Giovanni!"

Giovanni was on his knees, with rockets surrounding him. After being deep in thought for the past two minutes he began to laugh—a sadistic uncontrollable laugh that could never mean good.

"You fools!" He stood up laughing, "Do you honestly think that this is the end?"

Everyone's eyes widened at his words.

"Don't you know who I am? I'm Giovanni, and I never lose!" He placed his hands on his hips in defiance, refusing to go down.

Misty stepped forward, "You can't do this! I thought you were a man! You're nothing but a spineless, worthless coward! You promised to abide by your words now do it!"

"Oh there's nothing for you to worry about, Misty, I will abolish Team Rocket, for those were the terms of our agreement and I intend to honor my word as a man." He smiled, "However, it was not said when to get rid of my organization, therefore I can demolish this group today, tomorrow, or even next year! But…doesn't mean I can't kill you all right now before I do." Misty shook with fear and she backed up a few steps.

"I…don't believe this…this was your plan all along! You were going to kill me from the start!"

"It's nice to create false hope, isn't it? But look on the bright side, at least you had one last good match, and you had fun, right? Just between us, there was no way you we ever going to get out of here alive, after all we outnumber you."

"I thought you were a true leader! What happened to the example you were suppose to set for your men? All you're teaching them to do is run away and hide behind a gun! You're no man, you never were! You're just an insignificant pest who uses intimidation to get your way! I swear Giovanni, one day you will get exactly what's coming to you! You won't get away with this!" Misty yelled.

Giovanni laughed, "You have a way with words girl, but even your petty words can't stop a bullet from going into your head."

Misty and her friends looked around as the Team Rocket members surrounded them, getting closer and closer.

"Giovanni don't do this!" Delia yelled.

"Mom don't!" Unfortunately Delia didn't pay attention to the warnings of her son.

"Gio, I know you're only doing this to get back at me for leaving you, right? This is your payback? Listen to me Gio, it's me you want not them, let the children go and let us settle this!"

"Mom, please…" Ash begged, but Delia refused to listen.

"This is my fault, I dragged you all into this, including you Ash, and now I must pay for my sins. Take me, Gio, not them—they don't deserve this."

Giovanni actually looked thoughtful for the first few moments, and then smiled. "I suppose in the end you get what you can take." He turned to his loyal faithful subjects, "Everyone kill them all, but Delia, leave her alive for me."

"No!" Delia pulled out her gun. "I won't let you do this!"

Giovanni looked intently at her. "Delia, put your weapon away, there's no way you could pull that trigger." Delia's hands began to shake, confirming his views that Delia could never really kill him.

"Giovanni…" Tears formed in her light brown eyes, "Please…"

Giovanni ignored her pleas. "Ready…"

Ash held on to Misty and put her behind him. _Please, God, don't take her away from me…_

"Aim…"

Misty closed her eyes_. Ash…I'm sorry…I failed you._

Everyone was too shocked to run, so all they could do was hold on to each other, for what seemed to be their last time together.

Giovanni laughed. _Victory is mine. _

"Stop!" Another voice rang out from the stands.

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><p>Another chapter down and we are nearing the ending. I kind of already wrote the ending but it's not exactly final yet, so keep on suggesting ideas to me. I would say more but I'm afraid I might spoil something so stay tuned!<p>

Until next time...


	24. Chapter 24: 'Til The Bitter End

Another chapter is here and now it's time to find out who the mystery voice was! Get ready everyone!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, but I do have a few random OC people roaming around...I got to catch them before they ruin the story!

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><p><strong>Chapter 24: 'Til the Bitter End<strong>

Everyone looked around in efforts to find the voice.

She spoke again, "Put your weapons down and your hands up! You heard me—do it or I'll be forced to shoot!"

Cassidy laughed. "Oh really? You and what army?"

It was then that the officer Jenny emerged from the shadows.

"How about this one?" She smiled as her and about ten thousand other officers stood up from their hiding places, easily outnumbering the Team Rocket members.

The once mighty force of Team Rocket was forced to fall, although some refused to go out without a fight. They ended up losing their firefight with the peacemakers; the rest wisely put down their weapons.

Giovanni was beyond shock. _How did they find this place?__!_

Everyone else seemed to have the same shock on their faces.

"I don't believe this…we're saved!" May yelled happily.

"Yeah, but how?" Dawn asked.

They heard a voice behind them. "Tracy!"

"Jennifer!" Tracy smiled.

"Jennifer?" everyone repeated.

A young officer Jenny in training came up and hugged Tracy. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried, especially after all that stuff you told me."

Tracy gave another warm smile, "I'm glad you guys made it in time, I thought we were going to die for sure!" Then Tracy looked at his friends' confused faces. "Oh I almost forgot, Jenny these are my friends, guys this is Jenny!"

Jennifer waved sheepishly. "Nice to meet you all."

"So this was your doing, Tracy?" Misty asked next.

"Uh, yeah, well before we left I called Jenny here and she told everyone in her precinct, and I guess word had spread, and once I told them the coordinates they were on their way here!"

"Gee, Trace it would've been nice to tell us all this _before _we were scared we were going to die!" Ash narrowed his eyes; he couldn't help but be a little pissed.

"Sorry Ash," Tracy nervously patted his head, "I truthfully didn't think they would get here on time and I didn't want to fill you guys up with false hope and all."

Ash let it go reluctantly, but it was easy for Brock once he saw all the officer Jennys surrounding him.

"All of these Jennys are here…here to save me! Come rescue me ladies!" Brock looked as if he was about to pounce with wild love in his eyes, but to his surprise May pulled his ear.

"Brock! Save your speed dating for after all this is over!" she said.

Everyone laughed at Brock's dismay but then found themselves bombarded by Officers asking them questions.

Jennifer finally stopped them, "It's ok everyone they're friends of my boyfriend Tracy here, they're not our enemies."

Ash laughed along with the others until Pikachu noticed something. "Pika!"

It was Giovanni, making his sneaky escape. "Damn it, that bastard's going to get away!" Ash ran through the crowd of Jennys after him.

Misty ran after him, "Ash wait!"

Meanwhile the others were trying to prove to all the Jennys that they really weren't part of Team Rocket.

"You see we all came here as a team," May began, "This was all part of our plan to infiltrate the system!"

"You got to believe us Jenny we're the good guys—the only thing different is our clothes," Dawn smiled.

The officer from Vermilion looked thoughtful. "Well I guess if you're friends with Tracy then you must be good. Are these all your friends?"

"Well let's see, there's Brock," Dawn pointed to the spiky haired boy going crazy over another officer Jenny, "And I'm Dawn, this is May, of course you know Tracy, and hey—there's Ash's mother!" She pointed to the woman in the purple wig who frantically ran up to them.

"Have you guys seen Ash and Misty? I can't find them anywhere!"

"Come to think of it Pikachu is gone too," May pointed out. "How weird."

Delia was about to start looking around again when she heard a sickening sound—a gunshot. Everyone fell to the floor in panic and looked around, while the officers were trying to determine where the sound came from without letting go of their prisoners.

One of the members suddenly yelled: "Long live Giovanni! Long live Team Rocket!" Just then another shot went off.

"It came from outside!" Jenny yelled, rushing out with gun in hand, with Delia and the others in tow. They had heard the sound of thunder as the gun went off again.

"Ash!" Delia yelled, running even faster.

"Wait, stay behind me," Jenny pushed her back and continued running ahead. They finally reached what seemed to be a man-made waterfall that rushed straight into the violent river below.

"Where are they? I don't see them anywhere…" Delia looked around until she saw it: Ash's hat lying on the ground just at the edge. "My baby…"

"There's blood here, I believe that they fallen over the edge into the river," Jenny concluded.

"But there's no way they could have survived! How do we find them in time?" Brock asked.

Just then Tracy had an idea, "Venonat, come on out!" The purple bug pokemon stretched its legs looking happy to see its master. "Venonat, I know it will be hard with this rain, but I need you to find Ash and Misty for us."

"Great idea, Tracy! Venonat's radar-like eyes can help us track them down!" Jenny said, growing excited. Venonat began pacing the area like a Buneary, hopping from spot to spot, until it finally sensed something. It jumped happily and ran in the opposite direction they had come from.

"It's on to something!" Tracy ran after Venonat leaving the others to follow.

It had begun to rain pretty heavily once Venonat and the others got outside, but luckily Jenny had given them all raincoats before heading out. Personally she wanted them to stay behind, but realized she needed Venonat and Tracy and it would be hard to convince the others to stay in such a short amount of time.

So they ran in the rain, yelling out Ash and Misty's names, hoping to hear something, hear anything, but all they could hear was the force of raindrops on their ears.

"Damn it, we shouldn't be in the woods we should be in the water!" Brock yelled, "If they fell in then they must be still in there!"

Jenny sighed heavily, wiping the water from her eyes, "Brock, if they're still in that river then…" she trailed off. She knew that there was no way they could survive in a river with such a strong current, not to mention that water has to be dreadfully cold, and they would get hypothermia so quickly. She didn't even want to factor in this rain coming down, and the fact that the river leads straight to the ocean. If they didn't find them tonight they never will.

"Let's look by the river banks. If we're lucky they could've washed up there," she said.

Delia and the others were silent throughout this whole ordeal. It was hard to think that one moment they we're all laughing and happy to be alive, and the next moment they was in this situation. Shouldn't their troubles be over by now? Delia looked up at the dark sky and silently prayed, _Please….Ash…Misty…don't take them away from me…I was suppose to protect them…please I can't lose them too…_

"Ash! Misty! Can you hear us? Say something!" May yelled.

Dawn looked at the river. _It's true, even though Misty is a good swimmer, I don't think even she would have been able to fight this for very long._ Tears began to sting her eyes and combined with the rain in her face made it even worse to see.

Venonat began to jump again, not because of its trail, but because it could sense something coming towards them.

"Venonat, what's wrong, what do you see?" Tracy asked, bending down to its level. Venonat pointed ahead, and Tracy squinted his eyes to see what looked like…

"It's Pikachu!" he yelled.

Everyone could see him now, Pikachu running towards them, relief in his eyes.

"Pikachu, where are Ash and Misty?" Delia asked with panic and fear in her voice. Pikachu mumbled out some words to Venonat and started heading back the direction he came with Venonat following.

"Come on, their leading us!" Jenny yelled, once again leading the way. They all broke off into a run again, trying not to slip on the mud and end up in the water. After a few minutes of panic, pain, and persistence, they finally came across what looked like two bodies under a tree, both covered with mud.

Delia gasped, bringing her hand to cover her mouth, "Ash!" She ran to him. Misty was on top of him, and they were both unconscious. Misty had no shirt, only her bra remained, and she was bleeding from her right shoulder. Delia shook her. "Misty?"

"Don't touch them, we don't know their condition," Jenny said, getting on her walkie talkie. "Hey, I need a helicopter here now! We got two injured kids that need to get to a hospital quickly! These are our coordinates…" She pulled out her gps device and kept talking, meanwhile the others looked further at Ash and Misty.

Ash's left side was covered in blood, his chest and shoulder wrapped tightly in what they realized was Misty's shirt, which was being held down by Misty's hand.

"It looked like she tried to save him," Brock observed, bending down to touch Misty's hand. It was at that touch her eyes popped open, she began to cough and sputter up water.

"Quick, get her on her side!" Jenny yelled. Delia laid her down gently on her left side, patting her back as she coughed up more water.

"A-Ash…" She mumbled trying to reach out to him.

"Don't Misty, you need your rest," Tracy tried to stop her but failed.

"I-I have to help him…please…he's…he's going to…" she touched her shirt on his body and sighed. "Ash…" with that she passed out again.

"Misty!"

Delia laid her back on her side and breathed deeply. _Misty…Ash…_

Ash still wasn't moving.

She looked at his face for what seemed like forever until she heard the sound of a helicopter. Then she saw its flashing lights.

"They're here!" Dawn jumped and waved her arms hoping they would see her. After landing the paramedics who happened to travel with the officers just in case took Ash and Misty in gurneys after bracing their necks and strapping them in, and put them in the helicopter. Jenny was about to go in with them but Delia stopped her.

"Please, Jenny, can I go with you?"

Jenny looked in Delia's eyes, which were filled with tears, and couldn't protest. "Fine, but the rest of you go back with my men; we will meet you all at the hospital ok?"

Everyone slowly nodded and did just that, fearing for the lives of their two best friends.

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><p>Whew, just when you think it's safe to go back in the water...sorry that was too soon to joke about ha ha ha. Ahem anyways, so Ash and Misty are in trouble once again, and just when things were going well! What will happen to our heroes now?<p>

Until next time...


	25. Chapter 25: The Night I Fell For You

I was surprised by how short the last chapter was so I decided to post another. This one is definately my favorite, so I hope you all enjoy it. Meanwhile I've been thinking about writing a sequel to this story. The main parts are kind of swirling around in my head, but I haven't written any actual chapters yet. So I'm leaving it up to you guys. Do you all think I should write a sequel to this? But we still got time to think about it, since I'm still putting the finishing touches on this story. Anyway it's been a while so in case you all forgot, the thoughts of people are in _italics_ and flashbacks are in **bold** unless I say "flashback" before the text. But since this entire chapter is a flashback it's not in bold.

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, just Misty...heh heh, I'm only kidding!

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><p><strong>Chapter 25: The Night I Fell In Love with You—Misty POV<strong>

It seemed like we were always doing something crazy together. You always got me into trouble somehow, and yet we would always make it out somehow. It was always an adventure with you around, Ash Ketchum.

I began to love that name.

When I first met him, I thought of him as an ignorant, cocky kid who didn't know a thing about pokemon. But for some reason, I just loved the way his face lit up when he would successfully capture a new one. I mean who gets excited about a Caterpie? Didn't he know that Caterpie are like the weakest pokemon in the world and any idiot can catch one? Sigghhh…

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but become attracted…why?

Ash had reminded me of the things I always wanted to be—nice, loving, caring, and having a true zest for life. After my parents died, I had nothing left of me. I was so alone and afraid that I felt there was no reason for me to be here anymore. My sisters only confirmed my visions. They would treat me so awful, as if blaming me for our parents' death wasn't bad enough; they had to treat me like a prisoner in my own home. They would lock me up in my room, without food, water, or even a chance to go outside, for days on end. Lily would slap me around when she felt like it, Violet always had her harsh words—the only one I could somewhat trust was Daisy. She would sneak me food and let me out at night to use the bathroom. It was all she could do, since she couldn't take on Violet and Lily, she was a lover not a fighter.

The day before my birthday Daisy gave me rope—she knew what was going to happen. On my tenth birthday I was locked in again, suffered by the constant torture of Lily and Violet and their hurtful words. They would always make me cry and would be satisfied when they heard my sobs. I finally had enough of it, and later on that morning I packed my things, brought my fishing rod and my pokemon, and climbed out the window toward my freedom.

The last thing they read was the note I left:

_**One day I will show the world, and you, that I can be strong. I will become a great water pokemon trainer, no, a great water pokemon master! I won't come back until I get that dream.**_

The images people see of my sisters being nice and carefree, that's not the real them. I know who they really are. I was always in their shadow, I didn't compare to the 'Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City'! I was nothing more than the baby runt who got in the way of their plans. If I wasn't born, Violet would've had the gym when she was older. If I wasn't born, my fourth birthday would've never been celebrated. If I wasn't born, my parents wouldn't need to go shopping for my party all that day, and wouldn't be driving home at night. If I wasn't born, that damn drunk driver wouldn't have hit them.

If I wasn't born…they wouldn't have died.

I believed that their death was my fault for years, and when I saw Ash, and met his mother, and got a glimpse into his life, I couldn't help but get envious. That's why I was so mean to him—that and he always did stupid things that pissed me off. Ha, ha, ha, I hated I had such a temper then! But, that all changed when I received Togepi, and I had an experience to be a mother. It was definitely an eye opener.

But I'm supposed to be talking about Ash right?

In a way, Ash saved me. I only hated him at first because I wanted to be him—that and the fact that he destroyed my bike. But if I hadn't met him, who knows how my life would've turned out, or even if I would still be here. In time Ash became my entire inspiration, I often wondered where he'd been all my life. Before I left home, I often prayed for someone to save me, to save me from my inner turmoil. Of course I didn't know it then, but I realized that God had sent Ash for me. Being on adventures with him, just being with him in general, helped me through those times when I really thought I wasn't going to make it—even though he didn't know it.

I hated it when my sisters called me back to the gym. Damn them and their stupid trip around the world! But I suppose it was for the best, because in order to move forward, I had to move back and face what I had ran away from. I hated being taken away from Ash, but I guess the best part about it was knowing what he really felt about me.

"**I don't think it was a coincidence that I met you out of all people…I'm saying that even though that happened, I think we were meant to meet and become friends!"**

Ash…you will probably never know how much those words meant to me…but maybe you do. That night you called, nearly a year after what happened at Mirage Kingdom, you showed me just how sweet you can be. You promised to call me every week, and I first I didn't believe it, but when you did, it meant so much to me. All those old feelings I had came back to the surface, and before I could even realize it, I was falling for you. But the night you called wasn't the night I fell for you. It was a completely different night, one I will never forget.

It was a hot summer night, and Ash decided to spend a whole month with me at the gym. I couldn't help but be thrilled, since I couldn't get enough of his stories of Sinnoh, but to be honest he couldn't have come at the worst of times. Tension between me and my sisters were at the highest. A few weeks earlier Daisy decided to tell me about mom's will—in it were the details I wasn't expecting.

"Mom promised the gym to you, Misty…when you turn 18…"

I couldn't help but be shocked. The gym is mine? I was only around 16 at the time, and I take care of things around here so much that I feel like it's mine, but to think it was actually promised to me…that was a lot to take in.

My parents died when I was four, so I don't have many memories of them like everyone else does, but the only thing I truly have left of them is the gym. And in less than two years, it would legally belong to me.

The only problem was my sisters. Lily never wanted to gym, like Daisy she just wanted to go off on her own and be a performer. However, she was so used to being the baby before I came along, she couldn't help but be envious. And then there was Violet. As the middle sister, mom and dad promised the gym to her originally. They guessed that neither Lily nor Daisy would want the gym, so they gave it to Violet, hoping she would take it when she got older. But Violet didn't want the gym either, at least not at first. Until I was born none of them were interested, but after I was born jealousy struck like a venomous Arbok, and they suddenly fought for attention.

Nevertheless, mom passed the gym on to me, realizing my love for pokemon at an early age—which didn't happen to the others. Unfortunately, Violet was pissed, Lily was pissed, even Daisy was pissed off a little—although being the oldest she knew she had to set an example and let it go. But no one was pissed off more than Violet, and the worst part was she didn't want the gym in the first place until I was born!

Anyway, so Daisy told me all this, which again made everyone upset. I don't know why they were going to find out eventually right? So when Ash came along, he was definitely needed but not wanted.

"Hey, why is Violet looking like she wants to kill me or something?" he asked one morning.

"Oh she always looks like that, I wouldn't worry," I sighed. It was going to be a long month.

It seemed like that day I knew something was going to happen, so I tried to spend every moment getting my mind off my sisters. Ash and I seemed to do everything that day—good thing there was the summer carnival. Ha, Ash ate so much cotton candy I thought he was going to puke.

We came home later that night. I thought Ash had sensed something wrong but I was thankful he didn't push it. Ash decided to crash in my room—I don't know why since we had plenty of extra room—but I couldn't help but like having him next to me. (Don't think that way—he slept on the floor!) Anyway I had woken up late that night and wanted a glass of water so I ventured off downstairs into the kitchen.

Little did I know that there was someone waiting for me.

The lights were off but I still managed to feel my way around. I got a glass of water, turned around, and received a hard slap across the face. It hurt so much I crashed to the ground, dropping and breaking the glass in the process. I felt a shadow over me and looked up. I could just make out a shade of pink hair from the light of the refrigerator.

"Lily? What are you doing?" I tried to get up but she just held me down with her foot. Now I knew I was in trouble, I was lying face down on the cold tiles, and I was completely at Lily's mercy.

"Get off of me!" I screamed, using my arms to try and push my body up. Lily's foot was off, but then I had gotten a kick in the side.

I rolled over and I saw Lily and Violet above me, hovering like vultures waiting to strike.

"What is wrong with you two?" I got pushed down again as I was getting back up by Violet, who was still kicking my side.

Finally I heard words from Lily: "So what if the gym is like, promised to you and all, you don't deserve it!"

That's what this was about? The fucking gym?

I randomly found a piece of glass on the floor and used it to take Violet's foot out. I heard her scream as I hit her ankle, but then Lily took over. I punched her in the knee and she buckled, which gave me a chance to get up. Violet came after me but I hit her face pretty hard and she was knocked out cold. Lily grabbed my arms and I began to scream. She covered my mouth but I bit her hand.

"Ow, you bitch!" She hit me again. I didn't realize she had such a strong left hook. I fell again to the ground and she pounced on me like a lion, but I fought back hard. We were rolling on the ground trying to pull each other's hair out, when I saw the light go on.

"What is going on here?"

It was Daisy.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

Ash?

We were both shocked pretty good and we managed to pull away. I hated Ash for a bit after that but I realized he had to do it, since Daisy wasn't strong enough to pull us apart and I don't think Ash would hit a girl.

"Like, what the hell is this? Why are you guys fighting?" Daisy asked, clearly angry.

Now that the lights were on I had a chance to survey the area around me. Violet was still knocked out cold, Lily and I gained cuts from rolling on the broken glass, the kitchen table was off center, the door of the fridge was still open, and the worst part was I never did get my water!

A few minutes later Daisy was scolding me and Lily, which pissed me off, all while trying to wake up Violet. I didn't realize I hit her that hard, unless she's weaker than I thought. And Ash, oh poor Ash, just stood there with a confused sleepy look on his face. I truly didn't know what to say to him.

After all that was over I just stood in the mirror in my room, looking at my face, trying to decide how I was going to explain to people about it being swollen.

"Here." Ash handed me a towel that was wrapped in ice. All I could do was smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to see this," I winced as the coolness was on my skin.

"I knew something was wrong," he sighed patting Pikachu on the head, "I knew it but I couldn't ask because I felt it wasn't my place. And now…you're hurt…"

"I'm fine don't worry 'bout me," I turned around a bit too quickly and I unfortunately felt the soreness of my sides. Yep, tomorrow was going to be hell.

Ash gave me a skeptical look, "You don't look fine." I sighed and looked down at the ground. It was like being eight all over again.

"Look, I won't force it out of you what's going on here, but I just want to let you know that I will be here for you, so you can tell me about anything."

Damn Ash and his niceness, I couldn't let him see me like this.

"Please, Ash, I just…need to be alone," I looked down as I walked to my dresser and sat in the chair. I didn't want him to see what I was going to do. I heard him sigh and I felt so sad.

"Alright."

I heard the door close behind me, and that's when I broke down. I just couldn't take anymore. From the time I was eight until the time I turned nine, I had tried to commit suicide about twenty times. The last time I almost succeeded, but Joy was the one who saved me. It was her and Daisy who came to see me, and I was forced to promise never to do it again. I went to consoling afterwards, but it only helped so much. And after this…if they wanted the gym so much they can have it! I rather join my parents in the afterlife!

I pulled out a small knife from my drawer. This is it, I thought, I'm going to do it this time…Daisy, Lily, Violet, Ash, Pikachu…this is goodbye…

I pulled out my left wrist, ready to slash, when someone grabbed my arm. "No! I won't let you do this!" It was Ash. He had been watching me the whole time.

"What is wrong with you? Is your life really that meaningless that you can just end it so easily like this?" I looked in his eyes. He wasn't mad but scared…? Why?

"Ash…" I didn't know what to say. He slowly took the knife out of my hands and pulled me to the bed.

He sat me down and kneeled in front of me. "Please…Misty you can't do this…you may feel this way now, but you have to be strong. Sometimes in life you get knocked down, you get depressed, you get so sad that you feel the only way to end your pain is death. But remember what I said, I want to be here for you, I want to help you, and I won't let anything stand in my way—not even you. So before you end your life, try to think about the people who need you and want you to live, the people who don't want to see you this way…you are a strong person, Misty, I know you can handle this…are you listening to me?"

All I could do was nod.

He smiled, "You're bright and beautiful and strong and inspiring and I hate seeing you like this…I know you're better than this, even if you don't think so right now. Please Misty, just tell me what's wrong and I will help you."

His eyes pleaded with me but mine were too cold to answer. I turned away but I couldn't get away. My hands were in his and he kept giving me that look. I closed my eyes and shook my head but when I turned back, I realized he was crying. Ash was crying for me…? Very few ever did that for me, Joy was the first, then Daisy. It's just like that day at the hospital all over again. I never felt so bad.

Here was Ash, strong independent Ash, crying for me. "S-stop Ash, I-I don't d-deserve this…"

He was still looking at me. "You're right. You deserve much more."

Then he did something unexpected. He hugged me.

I didn't want this contact, my body wanted to pull away, but my heart…my heart hugged him back. And so we were stuck, just hugging each other, even Pikachu had gotten in somehow. Then I cried, I just couldn't hold back anymore, I really needed it. I cried for about twenty minutes, still holding on to him, poor Ash could do nothing but hold me back. It was then I decided to tell him about the will and how the gym was going to be promised to me in two years, and how upset my sisters were about this.

"So that's why you guys were fighting…"

"I didn't start it, it was them! They jumped me first! I was just defending myself!"

"I know it's ok." He patted me on the back. I started to shiver for some reason but Ash took the cover off my bed and wrapped me in it. Then he took the towel, the ice had melted long ago but it was still cold, and he pressed it to my cheek again. We sat there in silence for a few moments but then I attempted to lighten the situation.

"Heh, I must look really stupid right now, I bet you don't see many teenagers in this situation."

"You'd be surprised. Plenty of people go through this, I've seen it, and I have even helped a few."

Ash the hero. I smiled. I found out years later that he was talking about his mom—who also tried to commit suicide plenty of times. When I had attempted to go to sleep again it was around 5 am, nevertheless Ash insisted that I get some rest, and to my surprise he climbed in bed with me.

"Just to show I'm here if you need me," he said. He wrapped his arm around me and covered us up. God, I swear my entire body turned red! I got used to his touch after a while, Pikachu was holding on to me too, and we slept for like six hours afterward.

Daisy got a shock when she found us in bed together, but after some convincing she realized we didn't do anything. Whew. What a long night. But ever since that night, Ash has always shown concern for me. He called me twice a week for a full three months after, sometimes even three times.

When I asked him why all he said was, "I just want to take care of you…" That set my heart on fire.

That night was the night I almost died, the night my sisters showed their true colors and the night I fell in love with Ash Ketchum. I never expected anyone to show love for me the way he did—even though he didn't say it he didn't need to—I could feel how he cared for me, like I said very few actually cry for me. But he did, he showed compassion, which is all I ever wanted in the first place. I don't know if I would ever truly see that from my sisters, but at least one person still cares for me.

"All I ever wanted was for them to love me…I wanted their respect…I wanted them to be proud, and actually mean it! But I guess that's too much to ask…"

Ash held me in his arms, oh how I loved that, and he said, "You never needed _them_ to love you, you just wanted _someone_ to love you…and now…you have that someone…"

Ash, you might not ever realize it, but you're all I have and you're all I ever wanted…from the bottom of my heart…thank you.

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><p>I'm so excited, we're almost done! I got so many ideas in my head I'm still not entirely sure how this will end, but I'm still excited. The next chapter will be what will happen next to Ash and Misty, and just has a spolier alert I decided not to kill them so don't worry. Be sure to express all your opinions about how this chapter was, or whether or not to make a sequel out of this. I might try but I'm still not sure. Anyway stay tuned for the next chapter!<p>

Until next time...


	26. Chapter 26: The Morning After

The beginning of a new month is here! Since I'll be going back to school soon, I'm going to try to wrap up this story as quick as I can. So seventeen pages later here we are, at the moment when Ash and Misty wake up from their ordeal. Anyway there isn't much to say but...happy reading!

Disclamer: I do not own Pokemon, except for a few original characters that I made up, which will be appearing in this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 26: The Morning After<strong>

Morning light had just begun to come through the window. It had shined directly in her eyes, causing her to stir in bed. She felt so stiff…what was going on?

_Ok, Misty, try to remember…let's see…there was a gun, rain, water, darkness…a voice…_

"Ash!" She sat up quickly, a little too quickly, and pain surged through her body. Misty gritted her teeth, trying to ignore it, which made her head pound.

"Damn…where am I?" She looked around and it didn't take her long to find out she was in a hospital. But there, under the waking sun, was a boy tucked safely in a bed.

Misty slowly got out of her bed and crept to him. There was Ash, with a soft smile on his face, sleeping so peacefully.

"Ash…" she smiled and held his hand. It was warm. He was alive and so was she. After three months of fighting, it was over.

She looked down when she felt a squeeze on her hand.

"Morning…" Ash smiled weakly. "Why the serious look?"

All Misty could do was smile. Finally she said, "It's a happy look because I'm glad you're alive."

Ash slowly sat up, feeling the soreness in his body, and grabbed Misty in a hug. She wasn't expecting this but hugged him back.

"I'm also glad I'm alive, but I'm even happier that you are alive with me."

In the midst of their hug they didn't know that they were being watched by a curious and tearful bunch of eyes.

"You guys make such a cute couple!"

Ash and Misty were scared out of their hug and turned around. In the doorway were Brock, May and Dawn, and with them were two other women, twin nurses who were in charge of taking care of Ash and Misty.

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like," Misty waved her hands in denial and laughed nervously.

"She's right we we're just happy to see each other," Ash added.

"Oh don't mind us we we're just checking up on you two," the nurse flashed a bright smile amidst her shiny gold hair. Her name was Amy and she was technically the oldest out of her and her twin. Her and her sister April had been nurses for only a year but they loved it so much they could see themselves doing this for the rest of their lives.

"We're so happy you two are ok, we were getting worried, but I guess that's the power of true love right? It always survives and gets stronger by the day." April smiled now. "I guess that's why you two are engaged huh?"

"E-engaged? What are you—?" Ash was forced to stop his train of thought once May got to him and covered his mouth.

"Ash! You and Misty have been out for like three days, you must be starving!" May took a cookie out her pocket and shoved it down Ash's throat. Fortunately Misty understood and only gave a nervous embarrassed smile. The nurses sweatdropped as Ash tried to pull away, and then Brock broke the weird silence.

"Well it's true, we were really worried about you guys, but I'm glad everything worked out fine."

"Sorry for worrying you guys, were we really out for three days?" Misty asked.

"Yep, you both had pneumonia and you nearly died, Misty, but you both turned out fine," Dawn said.

At this Ash finally pulled May away, coughing on the plastic wrapper, "Misty nearly died?"

"You both did but thanks to the doctors here they we able to save you guys!" Dawn answered.

"Uhm, about that, where are we anyway?" Misty asked.

"Valencia Island," Tracy said.

He had appeared in the doorway, along with Delia.

"Valencia Island?" Both Ash and Misty said together.

"Heh, yeah, who knew we were so close to the Orange Islands huh?" Tracy laughed.

Delia came rushing over to Ash, tackling him in a hug and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh my Ash I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried about my baby!"

"Mom…can't breathe…" Ash croaked out.

"Oh, sorry honey," she let him go to flop back on the bed like a Magikarp out of water. Everyone laughed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Well, I'm so happy to see such a happy ending." Ash's doctor said from the doorway.

"Dr. Howard? How'd you get here?" Ash asked.

Howard smiled. "What did you actually think I'm just the average doctor in Pallet? I get around a lot and I just happened to be here when I saw Delia coming in here the other night. I figured you had gotten into some kind of trouble again so I offered my services, but I didn't know that Misty was hurt as well. Man, that was a long night," he sighed. "But we did it, I thought you two wasn't going to make it but we did it."

"Oh, it was the sweetest, most anxious night I've ever been in!" Amy talked again, "It was amazing how Misty had used her own shirt to wrap up Ash's wound and stop the bleeding! She didn't even care that she pretty much got soaked to the bone in the process, and she didn't even care about the fact that she was bleeding too from that wound in her left shoulder."

"Huh? I was?" Misty looked to her shoulder to see a small scar.

"You see, the bullet that had hit Ash's right shoulder had gone straight through and hit your left clavicle bone. It was lodged in there pretty good, but we managed to get it out. Lucky for us you didn't lose that much blood either, or it would've been worse, and it was also good that there wasn't that many stitches needed to close you up either," April explained.

"Oh, enough technical terms for one day," Amy interrupted.

She grabbed Misty's hands and shook them. "Misty, you are so my idol! I hope one day I can be just as in love as you are."

Misty blushed wildly and shook her head. "I didn't do anything, just what I thought was best—I guess it was more of an impulse!"

"Well Misty, what you did saved Ash's life. It you hadn't stopped the bleeding, Ash would've probably bled to death. Sure he had still lost a lot of blood, but thanks to a transfusion from Delia here he pulled through. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you, Misty," Howard smiled.

Misty couldn't blush harder. "But I really didn't do anything at all!"

Ash smiled and looked at her. "Misty, I owe you my life."

Misty felt her heart stop for a second. _Did he really just say that?_

"But I guess that debt is paid right?" Dawn put in. "After all Ash did save Misty from that river so I guess Misty was only returning the favor."

Misty nodded, "That's right! You did save me, not once but like three times, all in one night! First you took that bullet for me, then you dove in the water to save me, then you used CPR on me when I wasn't breathing right? So I say I'm the one who owes _you_ my life!" Misty breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the pressure was off her for once.

Ash smiled and just shook his head. "No Misty, you don't owe me anything at all." _Just having you alive and here with me is enough.  
><em>

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><p>Misty was fast asleep but Ash couldn't help but keep his eyes on her.<p>

_I can't believe all that we've been through, this definitely has to be the most dangerous adventure I've ever been on, and I had a lot of them! Misty, I'm sorry for getting you in this much trouble, you wouldn't have been hurt if it wasn't for me…_

Ash sighed. _Well, as long as she's safe that's all that matters._

He couldn't help but be happy though. Not only was Misty alive but also here with him. After the nurses left, May told them about how she had to lie and say that he was engaged to Misty in order for them to get the same room.

"**I knew you guys would thank me for it so I couldn't resist!"**

He chucked a little. May was weird but sweet and thanks to her Ash got to spend all the time he wanted with Misty, even if he spent half of it watching her sleep.

_I'll protect you with my life, Misty. I promise nothing will ever hurt you again…_

"Ash?"

Ash looked up to see his mother standing over him. "Are you alright honey?"

_Wow I didn't even notice her._ "Yeah, I'm fine, guess I'm a little tired."

Delia smiled, "It's understandable dear, you've been through a lot. Here." She handed him a big orange box.

"Wow, smells good, did you cook all this?" He asked. Inside were a bunch of dishes he couldn't even name in one breath, it made his mouth water just looking at them all. "Mom, you didn't have to do this."

"Oh, honey, I wanted to besides I know that hospital food can get really boring sometimes, and you guys might get hungry again so I don't mind one bit," Delia replied.

"We might not even be able to eat all this," this didn't stop Ash from digging in on some mac and cheese.

Delia giggled, "Well you have plenty of time, oh and one of the officer Jennys should be here in about an hour, she wants to ask you and Misty questions about that night."

Ash stopped chewing and looked down. _That night… _He looked at Misty.

Delia smiled, knowing that look, "Ash, you were worried about her."

Ash blushed madly and turned away. "I knew she was going to be fine, I wasn't worried at all."

"You can't fool me, Ash just admit you like the girl."

"No, I don't I-I was just upset that's all!"

Delia raised an eyebrow. "Upset as in worried? Afraid? I know it was a lot to go through, Ash, but both of you guys made it. It had to be stressful so it's ok if you were worried about her." Ash turned and looked out the window, still blushing. He could just make out a flock of Pidgey flying somewhere.

"Mom…I was worried…I thought I would lose her, and just the thought of that was enough to make me die out of fear. I didn't even worry about myself. When I saw her go in that river I knew I had to save her, even if I would die in the process, I had to make sure she was ok first." Ash still held a stern look out to the field and ocean below and didn't notice his mother still smiling at him.

"So you do care for Misty after all," she wanted to hug him for finally growing up but held back for the moment.

"Mom…I love her." He turned around to face his mother's eyes, to show him that he was completely serious.

"Oh honey, if you feel this way then why don't you tell her?"

Ash put the food on his food table, "I don't know…I have a lot of reasons I guess."

Delia sat down next to him. "You know, I also had trouble telling your father that I loved him."

"Really?"

Delia smiled at the memory. "I would try so many times, but I could never get the words out. Finally one day I just told him, and he accepted me. I finally realized that if I didn't tell him now I never would, and then how would he know? I couldn't lead him on like that so I summoned up all the courage I could and just came out with it. I hated the few seconds of awkward silence but it was worth it, just to see him smile and tell me that he loved me back. Nothing in the world made me happier than that moment." She almost wanted to cry, knowing that she would never get to feel that again, but held back her tears. "Do you see what I'm saying dear?"

Ash nodded. "Yes…I understand." Delia hugged him but it wasn't the chokehold kind of hug that she usually gives—it was sweet, gentle and filled Ash with confidence.

"Good luck dear I know you can do it."

She stood up and began to walk out the room. "And if it helps a little Ash, I think she feels the same way about you as well, otherwise she wouldn't be in this room right now."

About two hours later everyone was in the room, except for the twin nurses and Dr. Howard; all were waiting for the one question that officer Jenny was going to answer. This officer Jenny was from Saffron City and had been serving on the force for about five years. She had been especially interested in Team Rocket and once their demise was known around Kanto, she was eager to find out all the details. She was one of the first to volunteer to gain information straight from the horse's mouth, and after questioning everyone else, all that was left was Ash and Misty.

"Alright, I know you two must be very tired so we should get this over with. I'd like to thank you both for your cooperation, this helps us out immensely."

"It's ok, Jenny," Misty piped up, "We will try to help in whatever way we can." Ash nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," Jenny smiled, "Well, I want you to tell me everything that happened after the officers had entered in the headquarters, down to the last detail."

Ash and Misty looked at each other, not sure where to start. Everyone practically leaned forward in their seats, like they were watching an intense movie.

Finally Ash began first. "Well, as the cops we arresting everyone Pikachu noticed Giovanni trying to escape so we ran after him. Misty followed us."

-**Flashback**-

"Ash, wait up!"

Ash was still running but turned around to see Misty tailing him. "Misty you should go back, it's too dangerous!"

Misty shook her head. "Please, my pokemon fought way too hard to just see him escape! I won't allow it!" Ash sighed dejectedly but they kept running forward. Eventually they caught up to him outside on the edge of a man-made waterfall that rushed straight into the river below.

"Damn it!" he cursed, throwing his walkie-talkie into the water. Moments earlier he tried to contact his backup group for his escape option but they were all either captured or killed before his helicopter could even take off. He couldn't believe he somehow let his guard down, he didn't see where he had gone wrong, and he had no idea that the officers of Kanto were one step ahead of him.

"Stop right there, you coward!" Misty yelled.

Of course he couldn't go anywhere but Giovanni refused to turn around. _I will never admit defeat!_ He thought.

"Give it up, Giovanni, it's all over for you," Ash calmly replied. Pikachu also agreed by voicing out his opinion.

Giovanni chuckled slightly, "Well now, I appear to be backed into a corner…" he whispered. Yet he remained determined and reached in his pocket.

"Over," he said more loudly, "You honestly think this is over? Ha, no, no it's not over…" he turned around now, revealing his gun, "Until I say it is!" He aimed and fired without a second thought.

_Shit! _Ash thought.

"Misty!" Ash grabbed Misty and quickly pulled her down, shielding her body from whatever might come her way. They crashed hard to the ground, Misty closed her eyes for a second, not wanting to believe what she just saw. She slowly opened them and saw many things at once: the darkened sky, the light rain beginning to fall, Ash over her, and Pikachu screaming out their names.

"I'm alright, Pikachu," she slowly tried to get up, moving Ash off of her but then heard him scream in pain.

"Ash, are you ok?" She looked over him and it didn't take long to find the source of his trouble, a bullet wound to his chest, which he was now bleeding from. "Oh my god, Ash you're hurt!" She touched the spot right above his heart—she knew she had to stop the bleeding but how?

"Misty, take Pikachu and get out of here, save yourself," he shook once more in pain.

Misty of course shook her head. "No, I won't leave you!"

Pikachu also did the same, "Pika pika pikachupi!" (Yeah, what Misty said!)

"There's no reason to run anyway," Giovanni slowly came up to them. "You will be joining him soon enough." He aimed his gun again. "Farewell, Misty…" Just as he was about to fire, Pikachu sprinted up and tried to trip Giovanni by running around his legs.

"Aghh! Damn you rat!" He aimed his gun at Pikachu but this time Misty intervened.

"No, Pikachu!" She grabbed Giovanni's hands and aimed them towards the sky, just as he was firing another shot.

Ash struggled to get up but finally managed to do it. Ignoring his pain he called out for Misty to run away. She didn't listen of course and he didn't think it was possible for her to get away now anyway.

Once again Ash felt helpless. _I can't just watch, I have to do something damn it!_

"Misty!" He tried to run toward her but already felt his body failing him. Just as he gained his composure and tried to get closer, he heard another shot. Ash stopped dead in his tracks, and so did Pikachu who was biting Giovanni's legs the whole time. The next few seconds were dead silence. All that could be heard was the sound of the rain coming down.

"Misty…" he whispered, he looked down and saw blood dripping onto the ground. His body shook with fear. "Misty!"

He saw her back away slowly. She looked down, expecting to see the blood from her body but was shocked to find out she was unharmed. Giovanni however…was shot by his own gun. He backed up slowly, looking at the red liquid coming from his abdomen. Slowly he looked up…and smiled. Misty was too shocked to move, too shocked to notice Giovanni grabbing her arm, even too shocked to notice she was falling down with him…until it was too late.

"Misty!" Ash yelled again, running as best as he could to catch her hand. He felt the tips of her fingers, he was so close, but cried in agony as he couldn't get a good grip on them. Misty finally woke from her trance state to realize she was getting closer to the water. She looked up searching for Ash's face.

"Ash…"

"Misty!"

_If I shall die, then I will take you down with me, gym leader. In the end…I win._

Misty closed her eyes and took once last breath as they made a sickening crash into the water.

Ash stood there in shock, not wanting to believe what he just saw. "No…NOOOO! I won't let it end this way!" He released a pokeball from his belt. Out came Pidgeot, spreading its wings as he was hovering majestically in the air. "Please Pidgeot, Pikachu, help me find Misty."

Pidgeot came down, instantly worried about its master's condition but Ash just brushed it off. "It's nothing, let's go Pikachu." Pikachu hopped on the bird and they sped off, so fast in fact that Ash lost his hat in the process. But that was the furthest thing from his mind.

He searched through the darkness, wind and rain, but felt as if his eyes were failing him. "Damn do you guys see her?"

"Chaaa…." Pikachu sighed. Pidgeot also shook his head.

"Dang it, if only there was some way to—hey I know, Noctowl go!" Noctowl came out happy to finally be released and stretched its wings. "Noctowl, I need you to use your foresight to find Misty in this dark water. Think you can do it?" Noctowl nodded and its eyes turned red. They shined like flashlights on the water and Ash squinted his eyes. After what seemed like forever, Ash finally noticed a flash of red.

"Misty!" Her head was barely above water and she was unconscious. Ash returned Noctowl and sat Pikachu on Pidgeot. Without another word he jumped in.

"Pikapi!"

Pidgeot hovered above the water searching for a sign of Ash or Misty. Pikachu searched frantically for something, anything, any sign of his master. He couldn't bare the thought of losing him again…and Misty…what would be left?

Finally, Ash's pale face broke from the rough waves, he was carrying Misty in one arm and a pokeball in another.

"Bayleef!" he yelled.

Bayleef wasn't expecting the rain, which had gotten a lot heavier, to pummel down on her and she buckled a little but quickly straightened. Ash tried to say a command was he was being pulled under again by the current. Fortunately Bayleef took the hint, and grabbed Ash's arm that was stretched out to the sky. With the help of Pidgeot, they were both finally able to pull them out of the water.

Ash groggily opened his eyes. "Misty!" She was still in his arms but wasn't breathing. Without even thinking about it, he started using CPR, thanking god that Misty had taught him how the summer before. "Come on, Misty, breathe, breathe!" Each passing second was getting harder and harder. He knew that if she didn't wake up soon…

"Damn it Misty don't you dare do this to me!" Tears were running down his face—mixed with the rain made it even harder to see. He wanted to try one last time. "Damn it!" he screamed. He closed his eyes and despite thinking that she was already dead, kept pushing into her chest absentmindedly.

Then she began to cough up water.

"Misty!" She continued to cough and tried to breathe deeply, which was proving to be harder than she thought.

"Ash…w-what happened…"

"That doesn't matter now. Let's just try and get out of the rain."

There weren't many places to go of course but after returning his pokemon Ash dragged Misty as best as he could under a tree. Ash finally let out a sigh of relief. "You're finally safe…" At this moment he collapsed, unable to stay up any longer.

"Ash!" Misty was also still in the midst of her recovery but managed to pull him up and sit him up against the tree trunk. "Ash, come on Ash, wake up!"

Ash slowly stirred. "Mi…sty…"

_All this time he's been bleeding I got to do something! _She thought.

She looked around for something in hopes of stopping the blood flow but when she couldn't she thought of the next best thing. Beginning to blush a little, she brushed it off and took off her shirt. She tore it in half and used it to wrap up Ash's wound.

"Come on, Ash, you have to stop bleeding now." Ash could just barely make out her face. Even while dying he knew she still looked beautiful.

"Mi…sty…"

"Shhh, you need your strength don't talk." Then she realized: how were the others going to find them? She turned to Pikachu, who had slowly begun to cry over his master's injuries. She sighed. "Pikachu, I need you to go and find the others and tell them where we are."

"Pi? Pika Pikachu pikapi pika!" (What? I can't leave Ash like this!)

"Don't worry, I'm holding my shirt on his chest to stop the bleeding, but I'm afraid he might have lost too much blood. Please we have to hurry before he…" She trailed off, not daring to finish her thought, but she smiled at Pikachu giving him hope. Pikachu sped off without another word but taking one last look at Ash right before.

Misty turned back to look at Ash, who was fighting to stay awake. "Misty…I'm so sorry…"

"Shhh, don't worry ok? Just stay awake with me, don't leave me please."

Ash couldn't help but chuckle. "I would get into something like this…"

"You're such an idiot," Misty smiled. "Now shut up and let me concentrate." She pressed harder into his chest, but although the bleeding has slowed down a lot, it was still coming out. "Shit," she breathed. Misty didn't cuss much, at least not out loud anyway, but she couldn't help it this time. Her best friend, the one she loved dearly, was dying right in front of her and she couldn't do anything.

"Ash I told you to stay with me!"

"You said…be quiet…"

"Well, say something damn it!"

"I-I'm so…ti…red…"

"Ash don't you dare fall asleep on me!"

"Mi…Mi…Mist…"

Misty pressed harder, tears running down her face. "Damn you Ash Ketchum, you better not die you…you…you're definitely going to get me another bike after this!"

"You-you…and that bike…I want…w-wanted you to stay…Mist…"

Misty's eyes widened. _He really did want me to stay? Oh Ash…_

She began to cry heavily, so much that she couldn't tell her tears from the rain, but she didn't care. Ash slowly reached up and wiped her tears.

"D-don't….cry…my Misty…"

_Did he just call me his? His Misty?_

"Don't cry…" he repeated, a bit stronger tone this time.

"Ash…please you can't leave me like this, you can't—" she wanted to say more but she had momentarily lost her balance and almost fell forward. She recovered quickly, using the tree for support, but wondered how long _she_ would be able to keep her stability. Now she realized she was in the worst possible condition. Her body wanted to rest so badly but she knew she had to stay awake for Ash. She preoccupied herself by pressing harder into Ash's wound and to her relief he started talking.

"Mi…Misty…remember," he slurred, "I'm…I'm right here…" He grabbed a lock of her hair. She smiled.

_Oh Ash, please…I can't imagine this world without you…_The tears kept falling but she ignored them. She knew she had to keep Ash awake.

"Hey, Ash, you remember the day we met don't you?"

Ash smiled. "How could I ever forget…you were the first…the first one I…" Misty could feel her heart stop. Ash was passing out again.

"The first one you what Ash?"

Ash's eyes struggled to stay open. "The first one I traveled with….I always did many firsts with you…"

Misty smiled. "Same here, Ash…" she was fading again. She had no choice but to use one arm to keep herself from falling over and the other to hold her shirt in place.

They were both so tired, it was only a matter of time now. "Misty…I know we been through a lot but…I loved every moment, Misty…" Ash was closing his eyes again.

"Ash! You have to stay with me! Ash!"

"So…tired…" He slumped over off the tree, and since he knocked over Misty's arm in the process, she went down as well. Misty tried to push herself back up but the ground was too slippery.

_Stupid mud…_

Finally she gave up and settled for being on top of him, still holding pressure on the wound, but felt it might already be too late.

_Ash…since when did you mean so much to me…Ash…forgive me. I couldn't save you, forgive me._ She didn't want to give up but was quickly losing consciousness. She looked at his passed out form one last time. "Ash…"

With that she passed out on top of him, all the while still holding on to her blood stained shirt.

-**End Flashback**-

"And that's when the officer Jenny from Vermillion City and your friends came, right?" Jenny asked.

Misty slowly nodded. She looked over at Ash, who had his head down. She ended up doing the same_._

_I almost lost him…what would I have done? _she thought.

There was no point in asking, of course if he ended up dying while she lived she would most likely blame herself for his death, even though she tried the best she could to save him.

_Then I would have more people to hate me… _

She blinked her eyes to try and stop the tears from falling but she couldn't. She sighed heavily and turned away, hoping no one would notice her crying.

_Damn it why do I have to be the emotional one?_

"Misty…"

She felt Ash's light touch on her shoulder and shuttered. "I-I'm sorry I-I—"

Before she knew it Ash had pulled her into a hug. "It's ok I understand, Misty," he said softly into her ear.

"I'm sorry, Misty," Jenny immediately felt bad, "I didn't mean to—"

"It's ok Jenny," Ash explained, "It's just it was kind of emotional what we went through and it takes a while for it to truly sink in that we're still alive that's all."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry, I guess it was just all too much for me." Misty sobbed in Ash's shirt.

Ash smiled. "You know what guys? I think that Misty could use a hug—come on everyone!"

"What? Ash I—" Before Misty could protest, everyone had pretty much tackled her in a group love hug, even May and Dawn had planted kisses on her cheeks. "Aghh! Guys get off!"

Ash squeezed tighter. "Epic Hug attack!"

Tracy wrapped his arms around Misty's neck along with Ash, May and Dawn held Misty by her waist, and Brock—not wanting to be left out—hugged her legs. Misty laughed so hard she cried more.

"Enough guys, enough!" Everyone laughed and released her, proud of making their best friend happy once again.

"Well, I guess it was super effective…" Ash laughed, receiving a playful slap on the arm from Misty.

"Well then," Jenny closed up her notepad, "I'd like to thank you both for telling me all you can and I think I have all the info I need."

"We're glad we could help Jenny," everyone said.

Jenny nodded, "Alright take care everyone." Jenny received a chorus of goodbyes from everyone, but a very special one from Brock.

"My dearest Jenny, I would love it very much if you and I can say our goodbye on a more private, personal level. How about tonight…over dinner? We could—oww!" Sadly Brock was interrupted by a tug of the ear.

"Brock, seriously, you are so annoying!" Misty was about to pull him off when Jenny objected.

"Actually…I wouldn't mind that at all Brock…" she began to blush.

"Really?" The elated Brock nearly pushed Misty down to the floor as he rushed forward to grab Jenny's hand. "Well then maybe we should continue this elsewhere…" he chuckled as he led her out the room.

Ash sighed. "Well I know that won't end well."

"How do you know Ash? It seems like she actually likes him," Dawn observed.

Ash shook his head and laughed, "Maybe now, but she won't later on."

* * *

><p>Later on that night had found Ash staring at the moon. <em>Man, why am I so restless? I should be relaxing and asleep, not up and thinking. I suppose I had gotten so used to not going to sleep early that I actually can't now, and now it's after one in the morning.<em>

He looked at Misty's sleeping form.

_I'm glad she's asleep but still I wish I had someone to talk to…_

He sighed and continued to stare out towards the ocean_. I guess after all this is over I have to get back to training. _He smiled. _I bet Pikachu will be glad to battle again but it would be nice to get at least a couple of weeks of sleeping in—that is, if I can ever go to sleep._

He sighed again.

"Ash…?"

He turned around to see Misty looking at him. "Are you ok?"

_She looks so cute. _She used one of her hands to try and rub the sleep out of her eyes while yawning at the same time.

"I-I'm fine Misty, you should go back to sleep." Of course she only got up and walked towards him.

"What are you doing? Oh! The moon is so beautiful tonight! No wonder you're looking at it, I would sit here and stare for hours at it too."

He turned to her and smiled, "Want a closer view?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, I know a good spot." He took her hand and led her out the room, then suddenly broke off into a run with her barely keeping up. Luckily she didn't say a word, most likely because she knew they were trying to dodge all the nurses that could drag them back to their room. Eventually they made it outside, right under their window, where Ash sat down on a patch of grass that was right under the moonlight.

"You're right, this is a good spot, it's so beautiful here!" she said, sitting down next to him.

Ash smiled, happy to finally have her alone and all to himself. _And to think three days ago I almost lost her! I would've never had the chance to tell her how I feel…_

"Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Quit spacing out, it's annoying!" she playfully hit his shoulder.

"Fine, fine," he laughed.

Misty smiled. "Just what are you thinking about anyway? You should be happy! After all this, you finally got Pikachu and the others back, and you took down one of the most powerful evil corporations in the entire Kanto region! You should be celebrating not looking so glum."

"I'm not glum first off and second off, it was _you_ who took down Team Rocket I was just one of the spectators," Ash replied.

"I only got in that match with Giovanni so you wouldn't have to. Besides, I knew you were ready to kill him and I figured something should hold you back before you did something foolish."

"I wasn't going to kill him! Just punch him in the face a few times," he gritted his teeth.

_If it wasn't for him my father would still be alive, and I wouldn't have to see that look in my mom's face every time she looks at me…_

He was cut off from his thoughts by Misty putting her head on his shoulder. "Maybe, but I wouldn't blame you if you did, and I probably wouldn't stop you either but those other rockets would have. I just didn't want you to end up doing something you would regret and end up getting killed for it."

He sighed. "I know my father lived a good life, otherwise mom wouldn't still be mourning for him after all these years, but still…I wish I could've…seen his face you know? Look into the eyes of a great man who's become my main inspiration to be a pokemon trainer."

He felt Misty nod. "Yeah, I know what you mean, I wish to see my parents face one last time too, to tell them how sorry I am."

"You still blame yourself don't you?"

"There's so many things I could've told them," she said, ignoring his question, "I didn't even tell them goodbye before they left…" He could hear her sniff and looked to see her crying.

"Aw man, Mist I'm sorry I—"

"It's ok, that's just the way life goes right? Nothing lasts forever, not even life itself." She shivered as Ash wiped her tears away. "I only wish I could've told them thank you or something, but it always happens that way…you don't realize what you lost until it's already gone, and then all those words you were going to say just falls by the wayside."

Ash nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I mean when I was dying and all, there were so many things I wanted to say too, but I couldn't. Either I was too weak or…I was just afraid, but now that I'm not dead, I learned so much about my life and how you can't wait too long to say something or you would probably lose the chance to say it."

Misty looked at him, and turned all the way around to see his face. "Afraid? Yeah, I suppose I was afraid too, I thought we were both going to die…there were so many things…so many things…"

"You wanted to say?" Ash finished for her.

Misty gave a timid smile and nodded, "But we're alive, we've been given a second chance…"

"Misty, there's been something I've wanted to say…" Ash began.

"Yeah, me too," Misty said.

"Then you go first," Ash said.

"No you can go."

"No you go."

"No its ok, you can go," Misty replied.

"No really I don't mind, you go." Ash turned to face her.

"No you."

"No you!" Ash yelled.

"No you!" Misty yelled back.

"Misty!"

"Ash!"

They huffed at each other then burst out laughing. "Ash…ha, ha, ha, just go I can tell it's killing you," Misty said while laughing.

Finally Ash agreed, "Well, it's just, I've been meaning to say this for a long time now, but I guess I was just afraid of what you would say or think of me. I mean, we have such a good relationship and I don't want to ruin that because I said something stupid…"

Misty just smiled. "Ash, we've been friends forever, and sure you say some stupid things, but I'm used to it now," she giggled. "Just say it."

"After all this, you know me nearly dying and all, I realized that life is too short for regrets and the 'what ifs' and all that. I realized that if I don't say this now I might not get another chance to, so…the thing is…"

"The thing is?"

Ash's hands began to shake—he was so nervous! Misty grabbed them and rubbed them against hers.

"Ash…" she looked into his eyes. It was the same look she would always give him when she was worried about him. He knew there was no turning back now.

"Misty…" he took his hand and placed it against her cheek. He saw her blush and smiled.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened but he continued, "I have always loved you, for the past five years all I could think about was how to tell you how I feel. Finally, with some encouragement from my mother, I knew the only way to tell you was to just tell you. So…I love you Misty, and it's ok if you don't feel the same way, I'm just happy I got a chance to tell you before…something else happens…so…yeah, you can say anything now…"

Misty laughed. "Oh Ash, I swear you never cease to amaze me!"

Ash narrowed his eyes, "Are you trying to make fun of me or something?"

"No, no!" Misty fidgeted her hands to show her nervousness, "It's just I didn't expect you to say it first!"

They both stopped and stared for a second. Misty, realizing what she said, blushed and turned away.

"You…love me too?" Ash asked.

Misty gave a small smile and nodded, still blushing. "It was always you, Ash. I thought you never felt the same way so I tried to forget about you, even dated other people, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. Then when you had called me, all those feelings just kind of came back up to the surface, and I realized I really was in love with you. My heart hasn't changed, Ash, it never did. You have always been here," she placed a hand to her heart. "I wanted to tell you, for so long, but…" she trailed off, realizing that Ash was coming closer to her. "A-Ash?"

Ash smiled. "I love you." Then he kissed her. It was a soft light kiss but as the seconds turned into minutes it progressed, getting stronger and more intense. She giggled as he glided his tongue across her upper lip and pulled her closer when she slightly pulled away. Soon they were in an epic tongue battle for domination, not wanting to give up even when they ran out of breath. Finally Ash pulled away, his arm still around her waist.

"So, that's how you really feel…" Misty breathed. Ash just nodded, with a blush still evident on his cheeks. He pulled her into a hug, wanting to feel her warmth a little longer.

"I love you so much," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled, finally hearing the words she had been waiting for after all this time.

"I love you too, Ash."

* * *

><p>Yay they finally said it! Everyone get up and cheer! I hope I did that right, I wanted to capture Ash and Misty's emotions perfectly. Hey we all knew it was going to happen right? It was obviously coming...anyway I promise we almost near the end of this story, and I'll try not to drag it along for too much longer, but there's just a few more loose ends to wrap up. Plus I have a surprise twist coming! So, what do think will happen next?<p>

Until next time...


	27. Chapter 27: Going Home

Hello everyone! I come with another chapter. It feels like forever since I posted one, but lately there has been a LOT of ideas running through my head, and I had to write them all down before I would forget. Anyway I decided I would try to write a sequel to this story, but all the little parts aren't together yet so it might take a while. Meanwhile I'm posting this in efforts to get the story finished. At the beginning this was planning on become the final chapter of the story, however I felt like the ending of it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be so I added a couple of extra chapters just to make sure I've covered everything I could. Well I'm sure you all are anxious to get started so...happy reading everyone!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27: Going Home<strong>

Ash smiled early that morning. He had a lot of reasons to smile, he was going home later on, he could smell his mother's breakfast, and…Misty was kissing him. It still felt like a dream, it didn't seem like they had confessed their feelings for each other just last night, but they did. That alone was enough to be happy for.

Misty couldn't help but love kissing him. She knew she didn't have much time to wake him before his mom would be back with the others, but for now she indulged herself by waking Ash up the way she always wanted to. She kissed his right cheek, his lips, moved to his left cheek, then preceded down his neck. She had just reached his collarbone when he called out to her.

"Mist, you're going to get us caught…"

She hummed happily in response, slowly running her fingers along his sides.

"Alright you asked for it!" Ash flipped her over without warning.

"Ack! Ash no fair!"

Ash only smiled and gave her the same form of kissing torture. "You wanted this," he mumbled, pulling at her shirt with his teeth.

Misty laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "Now you're going to get us caught, Mr. Pokemon Master…"

Ash stopped and hovered above her, his lips dangerously close to hers. "So be it, I want everyone to see who I love." Misty shivered by his breath but stopped once he kissed her. It started off a lot harder this time but still gentle and loving. He wrapped his arms around her and danced his fingers on her back.

She giggled. "That tickles." She laughed even harder as he tickled her more.

"I see you're still extremely ticklish, Misty," he said, running his fingers along his sides.

"A-Ash! S-stop it! Ha, ha, ha, it's hard to breathe!" Misty laughed.

"Make me, say I'm the greatest trainer ever!"

"You're the greatest trainer ever!"

"Even better than you!"

Now, although she was willing to say he was great, she wasn't willing to go that far.

"Say I'm a better trainer than you!" Ash yelled again.

"Never!"

"Then suffer my wrath!" Ash smiled as he tickled her feet.

"A-a-a-Ash!" She began to laugh again.

"You asked for it! Say it, say it!"

"Never!"

"What are you two doing?"

Ash stopped in mid-tickle once he heard Brock's voice. They both looked up to see everyone looking at them curiously. Misty took the opportunity to kick Ash off. "He started it," she said blushing. Ash gave her a glare but didn't say anything.

_Alright my beloved, you win this round…_

"C'mon, Ash, we have a surprise for you!" Dawn giggled and grabbed his hand.

"Wha—? Where are you guys taking me?"

"May, cover his eyes," Dawn laughed again as May did what she was told.

"Don't worry Ash you should like this!" May laughed.

"I don't get it, what's going on?" Misty asked.

"Don't worry, you will find out soon too, we just thought this would be fun to do," Brock smiled.

"Ow, May quit stepping on my heels!"

"I can't help it; it's hard when you're taller than me!"

Delia laughed, "See dear, I told you eating your veggies was good for you!"

Ash moaned as May stepped on his foot again, "How much longer I'm going to fall over…" At this he nearly did fall over, taking May down with him, but Tracy kept them steady.

It didn't take long for Ash to realize they were outside, due to the fact that he could smell freshly cut grass and heard Dodrio off in the distance. He heard Misty gasp behind her.

"What? What is it?" He asked.

"Ok, are you ready Ash?" Dawn asked, her voice brimming with excitement, "On the count of three…one, two, three!"

At this May uncovered Ash's eyes allowing him to see a breathtaking sight before him. There, right on the lawn, were all of his pokemon, the ones he brought with him and the ones he worked so hard to save. In front of the pack was Pikachu, who flashed a brilliant smile and yelled out Ash's name.

Ash on the other hand, was too shocked to even move—well he was more happy than shocked. All of his pokemon, his friends, his family, were there, together at last, and he couldn't be happier.

Finally Ash smiled and rushed toward his loved ones, with tears in his eyes, and gave them all hugs. Or at least attempted to, before he was pretty much tackled by them all, with Bayleef on top. He didn't care; he just laughed, cried, and listened to his friends express their joy. After nearly four months of being away from his pokemon, he finally got them all back.

Meanwhile everyone else was just as happy, and gave each other warm smiles. Misty laughed, "Well, this was a wonderful idea, I'm sure Ash was just as anxious to see his pokemon as they were to see him."

"Yeah, it's nice to see a real smile on his face now," May said, still smiling herself.

"Oh, I just love happy endings!" Dawn laughed, bouncing in place.

They stood there for a few minutes and was about to turn around to go back in the hospital, when Ash had called Misty's name.

"Misty, come here!" She turned around to see his bright smile.

She sighed and walked forward. "Ash, you should be spending this time with your pokemon alone, you deserve it you know."

Ash nodded, "I know, I know, but I want to tell everyone something first." He turned around to look at his pokemon, then at Misty. He smiled, "Guys…say hello to your new mommy!"

"Huuhh?!" Misty didn't have time to prepare as nearly all of Ash's pokemon embraced her in a team hug. "Aaaah! Ash! Get them off!"

Ash just smiled, "They're just all showing their love for you Misty, just like I do!"

Misty was helpless, and had no choice but to try to hug them all back. "Uggh, I'm going to kill you, Ash!"

Ash laughed, "Everyone needs love!"

"You need your brain examined!"

Everyone else laughed as Misty finally broke free. "Ash should be jealous, you're getting all the love, Misty," Tracy laughed as Misty scowled at him.

Ash wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Misty…I still don't know how to thank you for what you've done so this is the best I can do."

Misty smiled and leaned into him, "Ash, there's no reason to thank me, you're alive and that's all that matters."

It was a sweet moment, until Pikachu tried to get them to kiss.

"Pikachu! We are not kissing," Misty replied.

Ash laughed but Misty blushed like crazy.

"Well, you got to give the fans what they want, Ash."

"May!" Misty blushed even harder.

Ash shrugged and turned Misty around. "They were going to find out eventually anyway," he smiled, and then gave her a light kiss.

May gasped. "You two _are_ together!" She bounced in place then gave them both hugs. "I'm so happy!"

Everyone else wasn't shocked at all, knowing it was bound to happen eventually.

"Well it's about time," Brock smiled. Ash laughed.

* * *

><p>"Well, you guys take care of each other, and try not to get into any more trouble, Ash, unless you want me to start traveling with you," Howard laughed.<p>

"Thank you so much for helping us," Misty said graciously, "I don't know how to thank you."

Howard gave her a pat on the shoulder, "It's nothing for the best doctor in all of Pallet! I'm happy to do it, besides any friend of Ash here is a friend of mine—you guys are all family!"

Everyone smiled.

"I also thank you, Howard, and don't worry we will all be watching Ash so he doesn't do anything stupid," Delia said.

"Yeah, that's a challenge in itself," May said with a laugh.

"Hey!" Ash scowled at her which made her laugh even more.

"Well, hopefully I will be able to see you before you take off again, Ash, oh and Delia be sure to tell Diane that I will be home in a couple of weeks."

"I will thanks again," Delia gave a warm smile.

And with that, Ash and his crew were off again, this time setting their eyes on going home and finally relaxing.

"Well guys, looks like this is all finally over," Tracy said, giving everyone a smile.

"Yep, we did it, I'm so tired," Ash said with a sigh. Pikachu patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, we will all get plenty of rest once we get home," Brock assured him.

Ash laughed, "I'll just be glad to sleep in a real bed for once instead of a cramped hospital bed. I probably will be sleep for hours!"

"Well don't sleep for too long honey; as soon as we get home I will fix us all a nice hot meal!" Delia proclaimed happily, already planning it in her head.

Ash smiled.

_Well at she's almost back to normal…she hasn't really been feeling herself since we learned yesterday that Giovanni's body was found on the shores of Manderin Island earlier that morning. She felt that it was her fault that Giovanni died, although she didn't say it but it was easy to tell, and she had been in a sad mood ever since. I wonder if she still had feelings for him?_

"Oh I can't believe this ship is called the S.S. Tentacruel!" Misty replied happily.

"Tentacruel? That just seems like a weird name for a ship…" Dawn muttered.

"It may seem weird but I think it's beautiful. A cruise ship as big and powerful as this deserves a big and powerful name!"

In a way the name fit perfectly, the ship was pretty massive. It could accommodate up to an entire city if it wanted to, with over 265 rooms, 12 dining rooms, 6 gaming rooms, 2 big spacious pools, 12 battle arenas, and even a place to go rock climbing. Being on a ship like that you could never get bored, but it must have cost a fortune to get tickets right?

"Don't worry about a thing everyone! Everything is paid for so you guys don't have to pay a dime!" Delia said happily.

"There's no way you paid for all of this, did you Delia?" Tracy asked.

"Yeah, I would feel bad taking all your hard earned money like this," Brock said.

To this Delia just smiled. "Like I said, there's nothing you all should be worried about, you all deserve such rewards for helping my son through such a difficult time. He surely would have died if it weren't for you all."

"Mom, I would have been fine…probably…" Ash changed his overconfident tone once everyone gave him a look that said: there's no way you could've done this without me!

"Oh now I really feel weird this ship is just way too fancy!" Misty squealed in delight.

"Yeah, a whole lot better than the S.S. Anne!" Ash smiled, taking it all in.

"Don't remind me of that ship…" Misty cringed at the memory, "Besides with a name like Tentacruel this is so much better!"

"I see you like Tentacruel, young lady, do you have one?" A man said behind her.

Misty turned around. "Nope, I always wanted one but…I guess I never got around to catching one!" She laughed nervously.

The man just smiled. "Well, if you want one so much I would be willing to trade you. Do you happen to have a Magikarp or a Gyarados?"

_Wow, what a beautiful smile._ She took a quick glance at the rest of him: middle-aged, but still had a slight baby face, tall, sandy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and seemed to be pretty well built. _Aw, come on Misty, what are you checking this guy out for—he's waaaay older than you!_

"Well, actually, I have a Gyarados, but I'm afraid I can't trade it to you."

The man nodded in understanding. "Of course, besides I just realized who you are: Misty of Cerulean City, right?" He laughed once he saw Misty's eyes go wide and continued to explain, "Well, you are known all around the Orange Islands, you know that don't you? People here call you one of the strongest water-type trainers in Kanto—hell you're the best!"

"I-I'm known here? Really?"

She didn't have time to wonder why as she was pushed aside by Ash. "I know who you are! I thought you looked familiar!"

"You know him, Ash?"

"Misty, where have you been, this is Blake, and he was the Unova league champion!" Ash claimed excitedly. "I saw your match with Alder last year it was so good!"

"Ha, yeah it's a back and forth thing between us, he wins for a couple of years then I win, but it's nice to see how much he's grown—I couldn't help but be shocked when he beat me!" Blake laughed. "And you must be Ash Ketchum, I remember your face anywhere."

"Really?" Ash began to blush like a boy crazy school girl, "Well, I guess true talent is made to be known to the world!" He laughed until Misty smacked the back of his head. He scowled at her.

"What? I was only stopping your head from growing so you should be thanking me, otherwise it would've filled this ship by now!"

Blake laughed, "You two are fun to watch, I bet you two are a couple right?" Both Ash and Misty blushed and slightly nodded. "Well, let's just say I know what it's like." It was then that a long brown-haired woman with blue eyes came up beside him.

"Having fun talking to the guests, honey?"

"I was just talking about you! Ash, Misty, this is my wife Dahlia—isn't she the cutest thing!" he pinched her cheeks, causing her to blush and everyone to laugh.

"Oh, knock it off, that's so embarrassing!" she said.

Dahlia turned to Ash and the others. "I hope my husband hasn't been giving you too hard of a time, I swear he's been so playful now that he's home full time again." Then she noticed Misty. "Oh, I heard of you, you're the Cerulean City gym leader, right? No wonder Blake has taken a shine to you."

"Huh?"

"Didn't he tell you? Blake is a well known accomplished water pokemon master! He loves the up and coming water-type trainers because they remind him of himself when he was younger—!"

"Hey, I'm not that old!" Blake cut her off laughing, "Anyway I hope you guys enjoy my ship as much as you enjoy the name, after all I put my heart and soul into this!"

"No way this is your ship?" Brock asked.

Blake happily nodded, "That's right, Tentacruel is my pride and joy, and I'm happy that you love the name so much, Misty, unlike_ some_ people," he said, taking a quick glance at Dahlia.

Dahlia shrugged her shoulders and stuck out her tongue, "Well, it isn't a very popular name…"

Blake smiled, "Well, anyway I'm glad at least _someone_ likes the name, and I hope you all have a good time here. It was nice to meet you, Ash, hopefully I will see you in the Unova tournament again next year, because it would be great to battle you."

"Thanks!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled.

* * *

><p>It was late into the evening, but Misty found herself unable to go to sleep just yet. Being out in the ocean for nearly two days now, she couldn't get enough of it, but dreaded the day when she would come to Pallet. It meant one step closer to leaving Ash.<p>

Now Misty was thinking about all of this as she leaned against the railing looking over the sea. She could just make out the luminance of Lanturn from deep within the ocean. She smiled_. I'm really going to miss this…_

"I thought I'd find you here."

Misty knew who it was without turning around. "It must have taken you a while to find me, Ash."

Ash came up beside her. "Not really, I just followed the smell of water," he smiled. Misty laughed and looked at him. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, dark blue pants, and no hat. _He looks so different without Pikachu on his shoulder._

"What?"

"Huh?" she snapped out of her thoughts, being embarrassed that she was caught staring at him.

Ash only smiled, and moved some hair from her face. "How did it go?"

Misty frowned, "Oh, uhmm…" she paused, remembering the conversation she had with her sisters a few moments ago. "Well, I told them all that happened, about how I had almost died but you had saved me and all that, and then…"

Ash urged her to continue by putting a hand on her shoulder. She sighed. "I asked them if I could stay with you, but of course they said no."

"Damn." Ash's eyes filled with disappointment. "Well, maybe I could convince them again, you know I got that good Ketchum charm!"

"Ash, that only works once."

"Oh really?" He leaned forward so that his nose was touching hers. "Misty…do you really think that's true?" he asked hoarsely.

She blushed like crazy and suddenly felt weak in the knees. "A-a-a-Ash…" she closed her eyes as Ash blew gently on her lips. _Damn, did my heart always pound this fast?_

Before she could question further he pulled away suddenly. "See? Thought so."

Misty scowled at him. "Damn it, Ash! That only worked because—because I let you!" She folded her arms and turned away.

"Uh-huh," he smiled raising an eyebrow.

"Anyway, they did give me two more weeks with you."

"Two weeks, wow so generous!"

"Yeah well, they still feel bad about what happened before and they did say something about recuperating and making sure I was well enough to come back. Are you sure it's ok if I crash with you for that long?"

"Please, Misty, mom would be happy to have you! And even if she did refuse…" he grabbed her by the waist, "…we could always stay at a hotel…in a nice, sweet bed…" he nuzzled his nose along her neck. She laughed and lightly pushed away.

"Ash, you're such a perv!"

"You know you like it." They both laughed.

"So, I see you're both out here enjoying this nice night."

Ash and Misty turned around to see Delia behind them. "Mom…"

Delia looked at Ash with his arms around Misty, and was immediately reminded of her late husband, who she had been thinking a lot about lately. _He looks so much like him, and just as kind and sweet and loving…_

"Mom? Are you ok?" Ash asked, concern showing in his eyes.

Delia nodded with confidence. "I was hoping to find you here, dear, I've been meaning to speak with you." Misty nodded and started to leave but Delia stopped her. "No honey, you should stay here too, this also concerns the both of you."

"Us? We didn't do anything wrong did we?" Misty asked stepping forward.

Delia shook her head fiercely. "No, not at all, it's just…it's just that…" Delia felt at a loss for words. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, not since Jo died, and now she was feeling it again: loneliness. She didn't want to feel this selfish, she knew Ash would leave her eventually, but now that he was with Misty, who could she be with now? She sighed and placed her hands on the railing forgetting for a moment that she was still talking to Ash and Misty.

"Something's not right, Ash," Misty whispered in his ear, "Why is she so depressed?" Ash looked at his mother, who was still looking out to sea, then cast his eyes toward the ground.

After a dead silence for a minute he finally spoke, "Mom, just what have you been thinking about these past few days huh? You look so sad, mom, and what does it have to do with me and Misty?"

Delia was still out of it and didn't speak until Ash had put a hand on her shoulder. "Mom," he looked into her eyes, "Please, please don't tell me you haven't been thinking about…you know, trying to…to…"

"Oh Ash no, I would never put you through that torture again, I swore to myself I wouldn't try to kill myself again, but…"

"But what mom?"

Delia shut her eyes, she could no longer stop the tears from falling. "I just miss him so much, Ash! Your father meant everything to me, and now that Giovanni's dead too…I just wanted to help him, I wanted him to be happy. He never wanted to take over the company, but his parents, especially his mother, forced him to. He had dreams of being a pokemon trainer. But now…and now that I see you, you look so much like your father, and seeing you with Misty, it just reminds me so much of how me and your father used to be and I—I just miss that so much!" She cried even harder and covered her eyes in shame. "I'm sorry, I must look like an idiot crying like this, I just don't want to lose you too! You're all I have left, Ash! I'm sorry, I'm so selfish!"

She nearly stopped her sobs once Ash put her arms down. "Mom, look at me, I want you to listen closely to every word I say: You will NEVER lose me. I might do some crazy, selfish, stupid stunts sometimes, and I might get hurt, but I promise you, you won't lose me. And just because I'm with Misty now doesn't mean you'll lose me that way either. You will always be my heart, mom, I love you." He smiled once he saw her smile, "Mom, we've been through a lot together, and I know I can never take dad's place, but I'm sure we both agree when I say that I want you to be just as happy as I am. Please mom, I want to see that beautiful smile of yours again. Besides, I'm sure dad would want you to be happy and move on right?"

Delia smiled and nodded slightly, "Yes, you're exactly right, Ash, which is why I have to do this." She reached in her pocket and felt a round, solid object. "Ash, I have been holding on to this for a long time now. I wanted to give it to you when you first started your journey, but I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it correctly, and I didn't want to get rid of it—your father's favorite possession." She pulled out a shiny old pokeball. "This was your father's first pokemon. I would like it very much if you would take it and raise it as your own."

Ash looked at the pokeball in awe. "Mom, no I can't take this, this—"

"Was once your father's," she said cutting him off. "And now, it's yours." She placed it in his hands. "Please dear, I have to do this to move on, and this is the real first step for me."

Ash looked at the small pokeball in his hand. "Mom…I don't know what to say…"

"Just promise me you'll take care of it," she smiled. "It would be better in your hands than mine anyway." Ash was at a complete loss for words. His father's first pokemon, the pokeball still filled with his mother's warmth, lay in his hands. It now belonged to him.

"Wow, what kind of pokemon is it?" Misty asked.

Delia just smiled, "I'm sure you'll find out some day. I'm afraid I have to go to bed now, dear, I will see you in the morning." Ash just nodded as his mother walked away.

Ash looked back down at the pokemon in his hands. "Misty, what should I do?"

Misty smiled. "It's _your _pokemon, Ash, you should know."

"But—but it was my dad's, and now…I feel I don't deserve this."

Misty shook her head, "Ash if you didn't deserve it she wouldn't have given it to you, didn't you hear her? She felt you weren't ready for it way back then but now she does, and she wants to finally move on Ash, and to do that she feels she has to let go."

His mother's words still ringing in his ears he smiled. "I guess you're right. Well, at least now I can say that my father is with me now, it's like through this pokemon I can feel his spirit."

Misty looked into his chocolate brown eyes. "He was always with you, Ash, why do you think after all the stuff you been through you haven't stayed dead yet!"

Ash laughed, "You think so?"

"God I swear your father must have been a Meowth!"

* * *

><p><em>I can't help but love that fact that Misty is here. Ash is finally looking like a really nice man with her around, <em>Delia thought as she looked across her breakfast table.

Ash wasn't wearing his hat like he usually does, although he still had it by his side, but his hair was combed back more and looked less wild.

_He always did have hair like his father._ She took a glance at Misty, who was sitting right next to him. Since she knew Ash liked it more when her hair was down, Misty's hair hung freely over her shoulders, but it was a little curly today. Delia also noticed how they weren't fighting over bacon like they usually do, but they were quiet—too quiet. Then Delia remembered: Misty was going home today. _Hmm, no wonder they look so sad. They surely have enjoyed each other's company these last two weeks—I swear it's so hard to separate those two! You can never find one without the other, and now…they were both about to leave on their respective journeys, and probably not see each other for a while._

Finally Delia broke the silence. "Oh, Misty when are you leaving?"

Delia sort of regretted asking after she saw her tense, but Misty answered the question, "Well, I would like to be in Cerulean by nightfall."

Delia clasped her hands together. "Well then, since this your last day with us let's make the most of it, shall we? I have a surprise for both of you!"

Ash and Misty both looked at each other as they saw Delia bounce into the living room. Ash smiled, "Well she's excited."

"Your mother always did make me happy," Misty laughed, taking Ash's last piece of bacon and running in the living room.

"Hey!" Ash ran after her with Pikachu in tow.

Ash grabbed her by the waist and sat on the couch, placing her in his lap. "Ash what are you doing?" she laughed.

Ash pulled her close and rested his head on her shoulder, "I don't know…I just like being close to you…"

"Ash," she got off his lap, "…I love you. I almost wish this didn't have to end."

"It doesn't have to," he smiled into her eyes, "I could stay with you…"

"Ash, we talked about this—"

"I know, I know, but—"

"No buts, I want you to continue your journey, I would hate it if I hindered you from your dreams. Besides, I'm sure little Pika here is anxious to get back into battling again, right?" Misty rubbed Pikachu's ears, who squealed in approval. Ash sighed. He always hated to admit defeat.

"But what about your sisters? I don't think—"

"Ash, Ash, we went through this like a dozen times, I have to go back to the gym. I can't keep running away. You have to finish your dream. You're so close I can taste it—can't you? Besides you might want to be with me now but I'm pretty sure after a month I will drive you crazy." She touched his cheek. "You will be fine, Ash, I will be fine, we will both be fine. As long as we still have our love nothing can separate us, not even miles and miles, you understand right?" Ash nodded under her touch.

"Misty…what will I ever do without you?"

Misty laughed, "Pikachu will take care of you, Pika, be sure to give him an electric shock when he gets childish."

"I don't get childish!"

"Pika…" sparks flew from its cheeks.

Misty was still laughing, "Yep, you are in good hands, or should I say paws."

"You both are against me now…" Ash sighed again.

"Misty!" Ash's mom sung her name coming out of her bedroom. "This is mostly for you."

"For me? Oh Ms. Ketchum I don't think—"

"Please, Misty, I have to do this…" she kneeled before her in front of the couch. She pulled an old videotape from under her arm.

"What's that, mom?" Ash asked.

"A present for Misty. This is something I have been meaning to give for a long time, but I was afraid of what you two would think, and especially of how Misty would see me."

Misty's eyes widened. "Ms. Ketchum there's no way I could ever—I couldn't even think about changing my opinion about you! You were always like a mother to me…"

Delia smiled gently and placed and hand on her knee. "Misty, I was never sure if I was going to tell you this, but after thinking all last night I figured it was the best I could do for you." She gave the tape to Misty and said, "Misty, I knew your parents."

Misty's eyes widened. "Wha? You…h-how?"

"You knew Misty's parents mom?" Ash asked. "That seems impossible!"

"Ash, your father was born in Celadon City, but when he was five, he had moved to Cerulean."

"So you're saying Ash's father grew up with my mom?" Misty asked next.

Delia nodded. "When they were kids, your mother, father, and Jo had all started their pokemon journeys together. But a few years later, Misty's mother had to go back to run the gym, and Jo reluctantly continued his journey alone."

"Wow, I can't believe that," Ash said silently, "So Misty's mom and dad went back to Cerulean, and then dad met you?"

Delia laughed, "Well, it was a little bit before then, since I was part of Team Rocket, but yes that's the way the story goes."

"So, what's on this tape," Misty asked, holding it up to get a better look at it.

"Well, years later, your mother, Coral, and Jo had a little match at the gym. Your father recorded it for you to watch when you were older, but somehow I had gotten a hold of it. Seeing Jo battle, even though he was long gone, it brought back so many memories, and I couldn't let myself release it. I'm sorry for keeping it for so long, and I'm sorry for not being there for you and your sisters when your parents died, the loss of Jo was just too much for me. I know it doesn't mean much, but I know you don't have many memories of your parents and I figured this would mean more to you than to me. I'm sorry for my selfishness and I hope you can accept that tape and my apology." Delia hung her head down, tears flowing quietly from her face. She couldn't stand to look at Misty's face.

_She must hate me, her parents died and I wasn't there for her…worst I kept a piece of her past away from her…oh, what should I do?_

Before she could apologize again, Misty touched her shoulders. Delia looked up to see Misty's bright smile.

"Ms. Ketchum, if you think for one second that I'm mad at you, you're wrong! I should be thanking you! I surely don't deserve such a great gift like this, I know how much this tape meant to you, and yet you're giving it to me…no, there's no way I could be mad at you. I perfectly understand how hard things were for you back then, after all you were a single parent still grieving the death of your husband, I don't know if I would've been able to go through what you did. I always admire you for your strength and overwhelming happiness, and I'm glad we met. Thank you for this, I will cherish it always, I will never know how to repay you for the kindness you've shown me." Then Misty reached out to give Delia a hug, beginning to cry herself. Delia looked at Ash, who was beaming so happily, and she smiled and hugged Misty back.

* * *

><p>Ash had set forth to see Misty off by walking part of the way with her. They were now standing in the same fork in the road that they were on the day they had all separated for the first time nearly five years ago. Ash held her close, so close that she found it hard to breathe after a while.<p>

"Ash, honey let me come up for air, will you?"

Ash laughed, "Sorry, Mist, guess I got carried away."

Misty smiled.

"I'm going to miss you." They both said this together and ended up laughing.

"Ash, when you finally open your pokeball from your father let me know what it is, ok?"

"You will be the first to know," Ash smiled.

"Pikachu, remember what I said, keep Ash in line for me." Pikachu said its name confidently, sparks flying from its cheeks once again.

Ash narrowed his eyes, "Misty I think you created a monster."

She laughed, "That was the idea." Then she got on her bike. "Well, I better get going if I'm going to get there by sundown." She looked in his eyes, and distant words came back to her. "Will I see you again?"

Ash smiled and answered, "You will I swear." He laughed again, "Funny it's like I said that somewhere before…"

Misty laughed with him, "Take care, Ash, and be sure to call your mother on your journey too."

"I will, and if your sisters try anything, let me know and I will come over there and kidnap you."

Misty laughed again, "I like to see that, Ash. I love you I'll call you when I get home."

"You better," he yelled out to her as she was riding away, "I love you, Misty!"

"I love you too!" Ash heard her voice being carried by the wind and ringing in his ears. He watched her retreating figure get smaller and smaller, and when he couldn't see her, he sighed and turned around back home, Pikachu hopping on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>I hope you liked this just as much as I did, I was planning on deleting some stuff but I decided to put everything in anyway. In case you're wondering where I come up with all my OC characters Blake is somewhat like Drake, one of the elite four of Hoenn who specializes in dragon-types. Dahlia is actually based off of the game Pokemon Platinum, although she's not known as 'Arcade Star Dahlia' here. Dr. Howard was based off of one of my teachers in school, she's not a doctor however hahaha. Oh and Captian Maywhether was just a name I made up randomly. The nurses Amy and April are also just random. Anyway stay tuned for more!<p>

Until next time...

PS. If you guys have any ideas about stuff I can put in my sequel be sure to let me know!


	28. Chapter 28: V for Victory!

Just a few little notes: this chapter takes place almost a year after chapter 27. Remember thoughts are in _italics_ and flashbacks are in **bold**, but there are no flashbacks in this chapter so don't worry about that part. I'm still doing some finishing touches on the last chapter but it should be up today as well. Once again if anyone has any ideas for a sequel to this story I'm still up for suggestions, although I'm almost done with the first chapter. Well that's it; happy reading!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28: V for Victory!<strong>

_I can't believe it's been nearly one year since I seen him._

Misty sat on her couch, absentmindedly flipping through channels on her tv. Finally done with her duties for today, she decided to rest a little, but of course her mind went to Ash.

_Of course, there are the phone calls and letters, and last summer he did spend a few weeks with me before he went to battle Adler in Unova, but still…it's not enough to say I don't miss him like crazy._

She was so off into her thoughts that she didn't notice her playful Golduck come in beside her and snatch the remote from her hands.

"Hey! Give that back Golduck! Get back here!" She chased Golduck around her couch, then into the kitchen, and finally back into the living room, where she had finally managed to tackle the pokemon to the ground.

"Seriously do we have to go through this every evening? I swear you should have stayed a slow Psyduck you were easier to catch back then." She picked the remote off the floor and was about to change the channel when she noticed a match was playing on tv.

"I hope you folks at home are ready for an awesome match that we have prepared for you all! Grab the kids and get the popcorn ready because you are all in for a show!" the announcer yelled.

Misty's eyes widened at what she saw. "I got to record this!"

_I can't believe it's been nearly one year since I seen her._

Ash was quietly sitting on the bed tonight, too excited to go to sleep. He looked at his pokeballs, trying to decide which to use in what could be one of the greatest matches of his young career. Tomorrow he was to face Elite Four member Lance for his shot at the title, but all he could think about was his favorite red head.

_I mean sure there's the letters and phone calls, and even that time I faced her for her badge while I was planning on re-entering the pokemon league, but still…that's not enough to say I don't miss her like crazy._

He sighed. Pikachu looked at him. "Pikapi, chu pika?" (You alright Ash?)

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine."

Pikachu gave him a skeptical look.

"Well if you knew the answer why did you ask?" Ash narrowed his eyes.

Pikachu laughed, "Pika pikachu pi pika!" (Duh, to see if you would tell the truth!)

Ash laughed back, "Ok, so I guess you can say this match with Lance isn't the only thing I'm thinking about."

Pikachu smiled at him. "Pikachupi!"

"Yeah, I miss my little Corsola." He laughed. "She still gets pissed when I call her that."

"Pika pika pi Pikachu?" (Have you thought about telling her what you told me?)

Ash sighed again and slowly shook his head. "No, I don't want her to think any of this is her fault. But I really miss her too much…I just want to be with her."

Pikachu patted him on the shoulder. "Pikachu pika!" (Tell her now!)

Ash laughed, "Not yet pika pal, not until the match is over, besides there's a lot of things I want to say that I have to plan right."

Pikachu gasped. "Pika chu pika—?" (Are you going to—?)

"Yep," Ash nodded, "In my heart I know that this is right." It was at this that a drunken Brock stumbled in the room, with two girls wrapped around him.

"Heya…Ashy boyyy!" He slurred.

Ash rolled his eyes, "Brock you are getting too annoying to travel with. Remind me to ruin your hangover tomorrow morning when we're talking about this."

Brock just laughed. "Aaawww come on budddyyyy don't be such a—wait…what was I…oh never mind," He laughed again, "I got one girl for each of us! I take the blond!" A blond and a brunette haired girl had their arms wrapped around Brock's waist, looking just as drunk as he was but much more quiet.

"Is this little Ash? He is cute in person," the blond said.

"Brock you just went too far!" Ash grabbed his pokeballs, shoved them in his bag and started to storm out with Pikachu following.

"I don't get it, why you soooo mad?" Brock asked.

"Damn it Brock, I—look I think it's best if we both took a break from each other huh? Besides I'm going to talk to Misty and see if she's coming to my match. You three have fun." Ash slammed the door behind him before Brock could say another word and started mumbling cuss words under his breath as he walked down the hall.

_I can't believe him! Damn I hate it when he's drunk! How could he even suggest for me to cheat on Misty like that, especially when I tell him how serious I am about her!_

For the past few weeks, Brock had been unusually depressed. Ash would try to get to the bottom of the situation, but before he could Brock would always get drunk and emotional—completely impossible to talk to. He deeply cared for his friend and wanted to help, but how could he when every night he was either with a woman or a bottle?

Ash sighed. _I guess I have no choice but to worry 'bout it later._ He went into the pokemon center lobby and picked up the receiver to one of the phones.

"I hope Misty doesn't mind if I call her this late…"

A few rings later a half-sleep Misty answered the phone. "Ash!" She quickly pushed her hair from her face and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I was wondering when you would call! I thought you would be up all night thinking 'bout your big match."

Ash smiled, "Hey beautiful, I tried to do that but…Brock…"

Misty's smile fell. "Oh. Still depressed isn't he? What did he do, you look kind of pissed."

Ash shook his head. "It doesn't matter I just want to talk about you. My mom and Professor Oak are going to be on their way here first thing in the morning. I told my mom to swing by and pick you up on the way if she can. Is this ok?"

"Uhmm," Misty's smile fell even further. "Actually, Ash, I don't think I can make it to your match."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry dear, I really am, I tried but…Daisy and Lily are taking another tour around Unova and they're leaving tomorrow. I tried to get them to stay one more day, but they won't take no for an answer and they want me to stay here and watch the gym."

Ash's heart felt like it fell into his stomach. "But-but Misty…we haven't seen each other in—"

"I know, I miss you too, but I can't leave the pokemon by themselves."

"Can't you get someone to take care of them while you're away?" Misty sadly shook her head. "I don't know what to do. I guess I will just have to tape your match on tv."

Ash held his head down. He didn't want to show his tears in front of her so he blinked them back. Pikachu patted his shoulder.

"Oh, Pikachu, please make sure he stays focused tomorrow. I wouldn't want him to lose because he's thinking of me, I would never forgive myself."

Pikachu only nodded.

Ash sighed and looked back up. "Well, I guess I can see you after my match then…I went through this whole tournament with your support and I always keep you in my heart. I know with your spirit next to me I can do this."

Misty smiled. "You have been doing well, Ash, I taped all your matches so far. I'm very proud of you and I want to say that no matter what happens tomorrow…you will always be my champion."

Ash smiled back, "I love you, Misty, and if you do find someone to take over tomorrow so you can come you will be able to come with my mom."

"I will try my hardest to find someone, or I will take every last pokemon with me. I love you Ash, I promise we will see each other again," Misty said, not taking her eyes off his.

Even though Ash was troubled that Misty might not be able to make it to one of the greatest matches of his life, he somehow found a new found spirit. He would try his hardest for her no matter how near or far she was, just to see her smile, to come up and congratulate him, and to make her even more proud of him.

After his phone call he studied his pokemon again. After some hard decisions and lots of heavy thinking, he believed that he finally had his team together. "Well, Pikachu, here's to dreaming."

Ash fell asleep on a couch in the pokemon center lobby, with his beloved Pikachu right beside him.

* * *

><p>Ash sat across from Brock on the breakfast table. He wanted to yell at him for making him sleep in the lobby last night and for drinking and acting so stupid, but once morning came he couldn't find any words to say to him.<p>

The others had arrived to witness this rare scene: May and Drew, Dawn and Kenny, and Tracy and his girlfriend Jennifer, all present and accounted for. They surely wasn't used to this silent treatment between them, even Pikachu was a little worried, finally May spoke up.

"Just what is with you guys anyway? What happened to make you guys so quiet like this?"

Brock, who had his head down the entire time, took a quick glance at Ash, who was still off into his breakfast eggs. He sighed and quietly got up.

"Don't worry about it you guys, I'm just going to go take a little walk." He started to head for the door of the pokemon center when he heard Ash speak up from behind him.

"Brock wait."

Brock had turned around and saw Ash's eyes. _Damn, did I really hurt him that badly? I barely remember last night at all…just what did I do?_

Ash sighed. "Look, I—I know this is a difficult time for you, and I must not be making it much better by only focusing on myself all the time. I wish I can be a better friend to you, I wish I can help you through whatever it is you're going through, but I can't…because….well I don't know why. I just find it frustrating that one of my friends is in trouble and I can't help him!" He stood up from the table now, his eyes shining brightly with determination. "Tell me Brock! Tell me what I must do to make you back to the way you used to be!"

Brock hung his head down, distressed that even he didn't know the source of his problems, but then lifted it up with a smile. "You really want to know? Just win this match—for me ok?" With that he turned back around and left the center.

Ash sighed again and sat back in his chair. _Alright then Brock, looks like this fight isn't just for me anymore…_

A small smile had spread across his face.

During that same time in Cerulean City, Misty was saying goodbye to her sisters.

"We're sorry you can't go to see Ash's match, Misty," Daisy said sadly. "It's just that we have a photo shoot in Unova and we absolutely have to be there today…"

"It's fine really," Misty waved her hands to shoo her sisters off, "You guys just go and have a good time, and be sure to bring me lots of pictures back ok?"

"Bye, little sister," Lily waved, and she got in Daisy's car and they sped off together.

Misty sighed and was about to turn back around to go in the gym, when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Misty!"

She turned around and smiled, seeing Delia and Professor Oak in front of her. "It's so nice to see you both again, it's been too long!" she said.

"Misty! It's so great to see you! You look so beautiful!" Delia rushed up and hugged her.

"It certainly is great to see you again, Misty, I heard many good things about you and your gym," Professor Oak smiled.

"Thank you so much Professor!" Misty gave a wide smile.

"Well then dear are you ready to go? We have to get on the road soon if we want to make it in time for Ash's match," Delia said.

Once again Misty's smile faded. "Well, actually I don't think I will be able to go. You see my sisters just left and I have no one to take care of the gym so I'm afraid I have to stay."

"Oh, that's so sad, I was really looking forward to spending time with you, since it's been so long since I've seen you," Delia said sadly.

"Yeah, and I was really looking forward to seeing Ash as well, since we haven't seen each other in nearly a year now. It feels so weird, I feel so happy yet so sad, because although I miss him terribly I know that eventually we will see each other again, and that is bittersweet joy for me." Misty's eyes were brimming with tears, but Delia was already crying.

"That's a good spirit, Misty, after all they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and when you and Ash do see each other again your love will grow even stronger, and the bond that you two have will get even closer," Oak smiled.

"Still, you're taking this very well Misty, I know how much you were looking forward to this." Delia spoke up again.

Misty nodded, "Yes, well, I guess that's the way life goes."

"Hey Misty!" a voice rang out.

Misty looked to see a familiar group of boys. "Hey I know you guys! You belong to my sisters' fan club right? You guys just missed them though, but they should be back in a few weeks."

"No, we were actually here for you, Misty," one of the elder boys said.

"Me?"

"Yeah didn't Daisy tell you? She was sad that you wouldn't be able to see Ash's match today so she called and asked us if we can take over while you go and see him. We all agreed and here we are! As long as we don't have to do any gym battles or anything," he gave a nervous laugh.

"Really you mean it?" Misty's eyes widened.

"Well yeah of course that's why we're—" the young boy was cut off by Misty's hug.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Misty jumped for joy.

"Well, don't just stand there get your things!" Delia said. Misty smiled and ran to get her bag.

* * *

><p>It was now about ten minutes before his match—the match that would decide everything. Ash had established his name as a strong pokemon trainer known throughout the regions, but he had never claimed the title of a pokemon master. Now, faced with the opportunity, if Ash were to defeat Lance he would be new champion and master over the Kanto region. This was the moment that Ash spent eight long years preparing for.<p>

Ash sighed, being very nervous, "Well, I guess this is it," he said absentmindedly to Pikachu. Pikachu sighed, also feeling Ash's nervousness.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, we can do this right?" he asked, scratching behind Pikachu's ears, "Besides, we won plenty of competitions before and this should be no exception!" He pumped his fists in the air, "If there's anyone who can go all the way it's us!"

Ash smiled and looked out the window. It was a perfect day for battling, the sun was bright in the sky, birds were singing somewhere off in the distance, and a light breeze was blowing, making it not too hot at all.

He turned back to his pokemon and said, "We have been through a lot together you and I, haven't we? I can't help but say that I've enjoyed every moment, from being at the Indigo Plateau for the first time, to winning the Orange cup, to competing and exploring every world we could find and making so many friends along the way. I have loved all of it, and I'm happy and excited to create even more memories with my friends, my family, and you. Pikachu, let's win this not just for us, but for all those that have been there and supported us along the way. Let's show all of them that their thoughts and prayers weren't all in vain, let's go out there and give it our best shot, and if we do lose…well then we shall give Lance the fight of his life, and make him earn his victory!"

"Pi pikachu!" (Let's go for it!) Pikachu stated with enthusiasm.

"Yes, we can do this! V for victory!" Ash shouted, throwing up his famous peace sign.

They were startled when they heard clapping from the doorway. "Well, Ash, I'm happy to say you haven't changed one bit, you still have that loveable childlike spirit."

Ash knew the voice, he had been longing for it, but was afraid to believe it. "Well, it's a part of me so I can't help it, I even think that it rubbed off on some people," he said with a smile.

Pikachu couldn't hold his excitement and ran over to give Misty a hug. "Well hello, Pikachu!" She reached out for him, "How are you today?"

Ash finally looked and walked over to her. "I can't believe you're here," he whispered.

Misty looked into his chocolate brown eyes, happy for once that he was actually in front of her instead of on a videophone. "I can't believe it either," she whispered back.

Ash was always one to resist temptation, especially when it came to Misty, but after so long of being away from her he couldn't hold back any longer. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his kiss, loving and gentle, yet rapturous and intense. They were like this for several minutes, until Misty finally ran out of air and tapped Ash on his shoulder.

Ash pulled away laughing, "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away huh?" he asked.

"You think?" Misty answered back, slapping Ash playfully on his arm; she still had Pikachu in her arms.

Ash stood back to get a look at her. She was wearing a beautiful sleeveless baby blue skirt outfit, with a pink flower on her top. He couldn't get over how cute she looked, and had she grown an inch or so since he saw her last?

"Ash, are you going stand there, or are you actually going to be in your match today?"

"Oh, dang, I nearly forgot! Come on Pikachu!" he said, running out the door. Pikachu yelled happily and jumped out of Misty's arms. Misty laughed and ran after them.

"Ash, wait!" She yelled.

Ash came back and smiled into her eyes, "What is it?" He asked sweetly.

"Here," she placed a pokeball in his hands and kissed his cheek, "Use this in your match if you can," she said.

Ash nodded, "I will."

With that he and Pikachu ran off again, into the cheers of the awaiting crowd in front of them.

* * *

><p>He could hear the roaring crowd of people above him, some cheering for him, others cheering for Lance. This wasn't what Ash was thinking about however. His mind was on the fact that Lance was down to his final pokemon, and so was he.<p>

"Well, as promised both of these competitors have given us quite a show today!" the announced yelled over the crowd, "Now we are all in for a treat: both are down to their final pokemon, and the only question left is, what will happen next?"

Earlier Ash and Misty's beloved Vapor, which was given to him by Misty just before the match, had taken out two of Lance's pokemon single handedly, before it was defeated by Dragonite, which was then defeated by Pikachu. Pikachu was next in a battle with Lance's Charizard, which surprisingly ended up in a draw.

Now Ash and Lance are at a deadlock tie, but with both of their strongest pokemon out, what could possibly be left?

Ash couldn't help but be in mental turmoil, but he also couldn't help but be extremely excited. _I can't believe this! The final match! I wonder what Lance's final pokemon would be, since he already used his Dragonite…wait, the only famous pokemon he has left that he hasn't used is…_

"Ash, I must say that you and your pokemon have given me quite a fight here today," Lance said, interrupting Ash's thoughts, "but I'm afraid that it's all over for you now. Bring out the water stage!"

With that the arena which was once dirt was now being taken over by a pool of water, decorated with little platforms here and there for the pokemon to stand on if needed.

"Here we go folks Lance has chosen water as his final element! I'm sure we all know what his final pokemon will be now!" The announcer's voice blared into the speakers.

Lance smiled and called out his pokemon. "Go, Gyarados!"

Out came Lance's red Gyarados, one of his strongest pokemon without a doubt, and now it was Ash's turn to show his strong pokemon.

"Pi…ka," Pikachu whispered weakly.

"It's ok buddy, don't you worry about a thing, if we go down we will go down fighting!" Ash closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He had been thinking about this for a while, and he decided to dedicate this final round to his father. What better way to do that than to use his father's most treasured pokemon.

Ash smiled. _This match was never just for me, this was for all those who ever believed in me, and loved me, and respected me, and battled me…_

He looked up. _Misty, mom, Brock, May, Dawn, everyone….father….this is all for you!_

"Go," he yelled, "let's win this!" He threw out his pokeball and hoped for the best.

The pokemon landed on a platform and of course the first one to recognize it was Delia. "Th-That's…" she stammered.

"I knew that pokemon looked familiar, that was Jo's first pokemon was it?" Professor Oak asked.

"It's beautiful," May stated.

"No way, you mean Ash's father's first pokemon was a Vulpix?" Dawn asked.

Delia nodded, "That's right," she answered, "and that is his beloved Ninetails."

Ninetails stood proud and glorious on stage, and people couldn't help but stare in awe at its beauty.

"Wow, Ash, I didn't know you had such a beautiful Ninetails," Lance remarked.

"It had belonged to my father a long time ago," Ash said, "I wanted to use it because if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be alive today. I dedicate this last round to him, and all those who supported me."

"That's very noble Ash, but you do realize you're at a disadvantage here don't you? Are you sure you can win?" Lance asked.

Ash thought for a moment then smiled. "I don't care if I win or lose. This match is for my father, and if I lose it will be a loss I will be proud of."

Delia smiled, tears silently running down her rosy cheeks. _Oh Jo, I hope you're watching this…_

"Well, Ash, whether you win or lose, it was an honor to battle you. I have never met a trainer as bright and successful as you, while still maintaining such humility. Well then if you're ready, let's begin!" Lance yelled out the last part, and the crowd once again began to cheer.

Ninetails had held up well against Lance's Gyarados, despite it being weak against water moves. They were both pretty fast, and Ash was surprised to learn that Ninetails could swim pretty well in the water.

Ash smiled. He truly didn't care if he won this match, just the thought of using his father's pokemon, and the moment of stepping in his shoes, was enough for Ash to live on for the rest of his life.

Lance already knew this battle was his. Ash's Ninetails was strong, but his Gyarados was stronger.

"Hydro pump Gyarados!" Lance yelled out.

"Dodge it and use confuse ray!" Ash yelled back.

Ninetails did just that, and to Lance's surprise it actually worked; Lance tried but he couldn't guide Gyarados in the right direction.

"Now it's my turn, flamethrower Ninetails!"

The flamethrower hit with full force and Gyarados crashed into the water.

"Gyarados!" Lance yelled, panic and concern in his voice.

Gyarados had risen from the water once the waves settled, down but not out. Lance smiled. _Fire is just no match for water._

"That's the spirit! Gyarados, use your aqua tail!"

Ash gritted his teeth. _If we can't beat it by type we'll do it another way._ "Ninetails, use quick attack!"

Ninetails darted back and forth across each platform, dodging every aqua tail attack, and inching toward Gyarados with each second.

"That's not going to work with me! Hydro pump again!"

"Double team, Ninetails!"

Ninetails multiplied itself with incredible speed, effectively confusing Gyarados, but Lance still wasn't fazed. "Use hydro pump until you hit the real one!"

Gyarados did just that, knocking out every one of the copies before realizing that the real Ninetails was behind it, but Ninetails did quick attack again before the red beast had a chance to attack again.

"Gyarados has been knocked in the water another time! This Ninetails is definitely a force to be reckoned with!" The announcer's voice yelled over the crowd.

As Gyarados rose again from the water Ash didn't give it a chance to recover. "Ninetails, swift attack!" The powerful star-shaped beam hit the injured Gyarados, making it stagger back.

"Damn, Gyarados hyper beam!" Lance commanded. _That Ninetails has to be just as tired as Gyarados, there's no way it can last much longer._

Just as predicted, Ninetails didn't move as it was hit by the hyper beam.

"No Ninetails!"

"Pikapichuu!"

Everyone gasped and looked down the field in awe. Surely there's no way Ninetails could've survived from a direct hit from Gyarados's hyper beam…right?

The clearing smoke showed a different story.

Ash was shocked not only to see Ninetails still standing, thanks to a quick protect attack, but also headlong into another attack—its sunny day move—without a single command! Ash looked on in awe as Ninetails turned a brilliant red, its heat rivaling that of the sun itself as flames completely engulfed its body; it truly looked like a spectacular fireball of energy—like a raging bonfire, or a Moltres rising into the sky, or…

"…a phoenix being reborn…" Ash whispered.

Ash, Lance, and even Gyarados, were stopped in their tracks as they stared at the beautiful flame fox being consumed in flames from the power of the sun.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" May whispered. "It's so enchanting and mesmerizing…you could just stare at it forever…"

Everyone else nodded in agreement, but unfortunately Lance had a different view.

"Gyarados! Don't let Ninetails intimidate you! We still have the upper hand! Use your surf move and show them that nothing can defeat the power of water!"

Gyarados's tail had crashed hard on the water, and created a huge wave that was at least 20 feet tall. The wave came fast and hard towards Ash and Ninetails, but this was the exact moment he had been waiting for.

"Ninetails use solarbeam! Show them what power the sun has given you!" He yelled.

"This is it, the final attack!" Brock yelled.

Everyone looked in anticipation as the power of the sea clashed with the power of the sun. The surf came down hard, but solarbeam had managed to go straight through it and broke the wave in two. The solarbeam hit Gyarados dead on, but the waves from Gyarados had also hit Ninetails, and both pokemon were spiraled backward. Gyarados crashed once again into the water, while Ninetails landed hard on a platform behind it—which sank slowly into the water.

Through the sound of the crashing waves, both trainers yelled for their pokemon's safety.

"Ninetails!"

"Gyarados!"

Ash had begun to shake. He hated feeling powerless, even more than he hated to admit defeat, but he knew that after this he might have to succumb to both. The silence was nerve-wracking, he couldn't even hear the crowd's cheers anymore, but he was too focused trying to see through the mist of the water to worry much about it.

He looked across the field and nearly groaned aloud in agony. Gyarados was slowly beginning to rise once again from the water.

_I don't believe this! We gave it all we had and that Gyarados still hasn't went down! Ninetails can't take much more…._

Just as Ash was thinking this Ninetails slowly rose from the water and jumped back on another platform, shaking the water off like a wet dog. Ash breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked the heavens that Ninetails was still being powered up by sunny day. He started to wonder if he should throw in the towel but before he could decide completely…Gyarados suddenly crashed once again into the water creating waves that doused Ninetails and Lance head to toe. Ash could hear Lance call out his pokemon's name but couldn't believe what he was seeing. When it was realized that Gyarados wasn't getting back up this time the referee had no choice.

"Gyarados is unable to battle therefore the winner of this round is Ninetails! The winner of the match is Ash Ketchum!"

At that moment the crowd erupted into cheers once again and the announcer's voice once again blared into the speakers: "The challenger wins the match! The challenger wins the match! Ladies and gentlemen, your new Kanto League champion, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash was in so much shock he couldn't even move, let alone believe what he was hearing. He had won?

He managed to snap back to reality once Ninetails collapsed and he had rushed over to it.

"Ninetails…Ninetails!" He had shaken her a bit then breathed another sigh of relief when she opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, I had pushed you way too hard I know it, and now you're like this. Can you forgive me?"

Ash laughed when Ninetails reached up and licked his chin, and laughed once again when he saw Pikachu laughing beside him.

"Ash…"

Ash looked up to see Lance standing above him, with his proud eyes and soft smile, and holding his prized pokeball in his hand.

"I'm glad Ash," he continued, "Your Ninetails certainly gave me quite a shock today. Clearly the better trainer won so congratulations." Lance outstretched his unoccupied hand for Ash to shake.

Ash smiled and shook his head. "Lance we are both great trainers, I think in my view we both won this match," he said taking Lance's hand. Then he thrust both of their arms into the air and smiled at the crowd that cheered for them.

* * *

><p>Later on that day Ash found himself at a party, a celebration was more like it, for his victory. Delia had been planning the party for weeks, but soon found herself with a space issue and had to move the party to Professor Oak's lab. Everyone from Pallet was present, including some old friends Ash met along his journey, Gary, a few family members, and some other childhood friends.<p>

Around a few hours into the party, Ash found himself all alone. Well, not completely alone, due to the fact that he was watching his Kingler and Corphish in a mock battle.

"Remember you guys take it easy on each other," Ash said to them both has they tested out their crabhammer attacks.

Ash couldn't understand why he wanted to be alone, he just felt like he should be. He should be celebrating, after all he is the new champion, so why is he deciding to be all alone? Not even he knew the answer.

He smiled, thinking of his hard eventful day, and laid on the soft grass. He closed his eyes and could smell that it was freshly cut, he could hardly hear his pokemon still sparing, he could smell a familiar scent getting closer to him, and he felt the sunlight being overshadowed by something—or someone.

"Ash…?" the voice whispered.

Without opening his eyes he replied, "Hey Misty."

"Ash what are you doing? You can't just leave your own party!" Misty placed her hands on her hips, acting annoyed.

Ash smiled, his eyes still closed. "I was just thinking about you and here you are." He sat up and turned around to look at her. "Sorry, I left, I guess after seeing nothing but big crowds I just kind of wanted to be alone for a while you know?"

Misty nodded, "Well you know, now that you're a pokemon master I guess you have to get used to that, but if you really want to be alone I guess I'll leave you for a while…"

Misty turned around to head back the way she came but was stopped by Ash's hand on her arm. "Wait! Stay with me please? I really missed you…" He trailed off realizing the position they were in.

His hand was wrapped around hers, she was standing but he was nearly on one knee…almost as if…

"So you missed me huh?" Misty asked him, holding his hand tighter, "Well just how much have you missed me?"

Ash looked into her bright cerulean eyes, relieved to finally have some alone time with her. "Misty, I thought about you every day, there wasn't a moment when I stopped. Thinking about you, and missing you, always put my mind at ease because I know that one day we were going to see each other again. I don't ever want to leave you again. If there's anything I learned about this whole experience is that I love you too much to be apart from you for too long. I'll miss you too much, so I've decided to stay here for all of my training, and if I have no choice but to go somewhere then I shall take you with me."

"Ash..." Misty was too speechless to say much else. _He really wants to stop traveling...for me?_

He reluctantly sat up, still holding Misty's hand. "Come with me."

Misty protested silently as Ash tugged her along, getting further and further away from Professor Oak's lab.

"Ash, where are we going? And what's with you, you've been acting weird ever since you won you're match, I never seen you want this much solitude after a victory…" She trailed off a bit, getting irritated that Ash wasn't listening to him. "Ash!"

Ash smiled and glanced back her. _I wonder if she's irritated or worried about me._

"This has been a beautiful day, don't you think? You know how much I love sunsets and I really want to see this one, don't you?"

Misty gave a silent response and another irritated look. _Just what are you hiding Ash Ketchum?_

Ash silently let Misty to a large hill which happened to overlook all of Pallet. He looked at Misty's awed look.

"Misty, I promise this is the best place to see the sun set, just watch," Ash replied.

As they stood in silence for the next few minutes, Ash thought about the last time he saw Misty in a sunset, how beautiful she looked, how he decided then and there to always be with her, and how much he loved her and didn't want to lose her. That feeling only intensified over the year that they've been together, and now that he had accomplished his main dream of becoming a pokemon master he could set off an fulfill another.

Misty on the other hand couldn't help but wonder what was Ash thinking bringing her all the way out here to watch a sunset. There were plenty of other places they could be so why here?

_Hmm, maybe he was nervous about the match, but he won so why is he still so distant? Oh, no, this isn't about Brock is it?_

Misty had spoken to Brock about thirty minutes before and finally got to the bottom of why he was so depressed.

_Should I tell him now? He does look kind of sad…_

But just as she turned to speak to him Ash cut her off. "There it is Misty, look."

Misty turned back around to face the setting sun and got a wonderful shock. Just as the sun was going down, a flock of Butterfree was rising from the grass below. All different sizes were taking off into the sky, their wings creating a sparkling dust as they beat them, cascading the sky in shiny colors of orange, red, and purple.

Misty was in awe once again and gripped tighter to Ash's hand, which she was holding the whole time. It was at this Ash turned to her, with a broad smile on his face, and asked a simple question:

"Misty, will you marry me?"

* * *

><p>I hope that this is ok, it felt a bit rushed for some reason, but I didn't want to drag things on and make it too boring. Wasn't it cute how much Ash missed Misty? She's so lucky...anyway congrats to my friend SilverTigerdirector for being such a good guesser on the mystery pokemon! I ran out of cookies however so I'm sorry about that. I really love fire-types and Ninetails has always been my favorite. Well, up next is the final chapter, which was a lot more relaxing to write so I'm happy about that. So what do think Misty's answer will be? Aw, who am I kidding, you guys all know the answer already...<p>

Until next time...


	29. Chapter 29: To Be With You

So here we are, the final chapter! First off, I would like to thank everyone for all your comments and support. Honestly I really thought this story was terrible until all these comments came in. But anyway I thank everyone for reading my first story and if you all have any suggestions about anything let me know. I would love to become better and I would love any criticism you guys have to give me, even if it's bad don't hold back! Meanwhile school is about to start for me so I don't know if I'll be able to do much with sequels and stuff, but I promise to do my best! So I'm getting tired of rambling enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29: To Be With You<strong>

She stirred awake slowly the next morning. Her head was slightly pounding from the liquor she drunk the night before, but oddly enough she was pleased to see the sun shining down upon her face.

Misty smiled and rolled over away from the light, determined to go back to sleep, until she realized she was in a bed. Not just any bed…it was Ash's bed. She figured this out when she realized that he was sleeping right next to her. She almost screamed out loud but covered her mouth at the last second. Now she was laying there as stiff as a board, her hand over her mouth and her face turning redder by the minute.

_Oh my god, what is this? Why am I in Ash's bed? Don't tell me we…oh crap why can't I remember anything?! Ok Misty…settle down…oh no where are my clothes?_

She looked down to discover she was wearing one of Ash's white t-shirts, but was a bit relieved when she saw her clothes folded up neatly on a chair.

_Ok ok ok…c'mon Misty think…why can't you remember the events that led up to this? Should I just ask Ash? What would he think of me?_

Before she could think any further she felt Ash turning beside her.

"Mmm…morning Misty," he mumbled.

"M-morning Ash…" she stuttered out.

Ash noticed that she was blushing really hard and moved closer to her. "What's wrong Mist, am I making you nervous?"

"W-what, n-no of course not! I'm just…uhm…well…" Misty never found herself this flustered and it was a bit irritating. Ash on the other hand was enjoying every minute and couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she looked.

"Are you ok my little Corsola?" He said with a mischievous smile. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her even closer. "You didn't get too drunk last night did you?"

_Damn you Ash Ketchum! You're enjoying this!_

Her eyes flashed in anger but she was able to gain her composure back. "You know since we're this close there's a lot of things I could do to you right now…"

"What could be more different from what we did last night?"

Misty's eyes widened. "Y-you…you mean we…"

Ash then began to laugh. "No, but we were really freaking close as you can tell. I can't believe you don't remember, after I proposed to you and everything!"

"Oh, Ash I remember that, it's everything afterwards that's giving me trouble…like how I ended up in this bed with you in the first place!"

"Hmm, well we didn't do what you think we did, but it was kind of nice. I must have watched you sleep for hours," Ash replied.

"Wow, now that's creepy."

"Hey!"

"I'm only kidding honey!" Misty laughed, tapping him on the shoulder. "You know, I don't really care what happened after you proposed, I rather just remember the proposal. Ah, I can't believe it, out of all the things to ask me after a sunset like that and you asked me to marry you!" She began to laugh.

"Yeah, I'm sure that wasn't what you were expecting, but to tell you the truth I've been planning it for weeks. It was so hard to think of the perfect way to ask," Ash said.

"Well," she replied, taking a look at the ring on her finger, "I still think we should have told some people during the party that we were getting married, because now we have to call everyone."

"So you're starting to remember huh? Nah, I'm glad we didn't, some of those people were just as drunk as you were or even worse. They wouldn't have remembered if we pointed it in front of their faces," he laughed.

"How did you pick it out anyway?" Misty asked.

"Oh well Pikachu helped, and so did mom. Ha, I still can't believe she kept a secret like that for six months, I know it must have been hard on her," Ash replied, a smile spreading across his face.

"Ash…I love you," Misty said.

Ash flashed a bright smile, then reached out to hold her closer than she already was, effectively squeezing her. "Misty I love hearing you say that! Can I hold you like this every morning?"

"Sure, sure, Ash just don't suffocate me are you are now…"

"Oh! Sorry." He apologized as he released her.

"Gosh Ash, I thought only girls love to squeeze people to death." She giggled.

"Yeah, I must have got it from you."

* * *

><p>Ash and Misty came down a few short minutes later to see Delia on the couch watching tv. Pikachu was sitting right next to her, also enraptured at the bright picture before him.<p>

"What are you guys watching?" Ash asked.

Delia turned around. "Oh, this is the video Misty gave to me, did you see it dear? It's an old tournament match your father was in."

"Wow really?"

"I saw it on tv the other day and I had to record it," Misty said softly, "I figured it would be a nice gift for you, Ms. Ketchum, and it was fun to watch an older version of Ash in a battle."

"I can't thank you enough for this, Misty, it really means a lot to me," Delia replied, reaching out to grab her hand.

"It was no problem!" she said happily.

"Wow, I can't believe this is really him." Ash sat down on the couch next to Pikachu, who almost instantly jumped up to sit in his lap.

"No way, you've never seen your dad in a match?" Misty almost felt stupid for asking it, but she thought at least Ms. Ketchum would have shown him the video she gave her.

"Nope, but I'm getting excited already!" Ash nearly jumped for joy as he saw his father bring out a Flareon.

"Hey, there you guys are!" Dawn said coming from the kitchen along with May. "Are you going to eat breakfast with us Misty?"

Misty, however, was caught in a bunch of thoughts at once and didn't even hear Dawn's question.

_I wonder what our wedding would be like. Hmm, let's see who should I call first? Maybe I should save my sisters for last... they would come and take over like they always do…I wonder if it would be hard for a gym leader to be married to a pokemon master….I wonder how many kids does Ash want, or even if he wants kids? Wait, do I want kids?_

"Hello, earth to Misty!" Dawn walked up and wildly waved her hands in front of her face.

Misty finally snapped out of it and answered Dawn, "Oh, sure I love to eat breakfast! I'm starving."

Then May had noticed the ring on Misty's finger.

"Oh my gosh, Misty, is that what I think it is?" May stood captivated by the shining little object. Misty was completely embarrassed and tried to quickly hide her hand behind her.

"Wha-what are you talking about May?" She blushed nervously.

Dawn gasped. "Ash, you proposed to her!" Ash was now caught off guard but had no problems telling everyone that Misty was now his fiancée.

May squealed and hugged Misty. "Oh my gosh this is amazing! Congratulations!"

Delia smiled sweetly. "My baby is growing up now! I finally get to have grandchildren!"

"Mom!" Ash had a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"Hey what's going on?" Brock had walked in through the back door and was a bit surprised to see everyone up so early.

"Brock this is amazing! Ash and Misty are getting married!" Dawn bounced up and down excitedly.

"Really?" Brock couldn't help but stand in shock. _They only have been going out a year and already engaged? Wow…_

He was stopped from his train of thought when he saw Misty's worried face. "Oh, I mean that really is amazing, congratulations to the both of you!"

"Yay, we should have a party!" Dawn exclaimed.

"But we just had a party yesterday!" Misty laughed.

Brock blocked out the rest of the conversation and focused on his thoughts. _Wow first the championship and now this? What more can I say? It feels like the world is moving too fast for me now. _He then felt Ash's hand on his shoulder.

"Morning Brock," he said with a soft smile.

Brock smiled back. "Morning Ash, quite a morning huh?"

Ash nodded. "Hey, uhm, you want to go for a walk?"

Brock was taken aback by this, and a part of him didn't want to, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Uh, sure thing Ash."

* * *

><p>When Ash got back from his walk with Brock, Misty was on the back porch.<p>

"It's so adorable, Ash, she fell asleep waiting for you," Delia giggled. "Maybe you should get her and put her in bed."

He walked out and saw Misty curled up on the porch bench, sleeping soundly with a slight blush on her cheeks. Looking at her peaceful face found him in his own thoughts.

_I wonder how our life would be together. Misty and I have been through so much together, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world._

He kneeled next to her and touched her face with his hand. "Afternoon, my little Corsola, time to wake up sleepy head."

She moaned a little but didn't stir too much.

Ash sighed. "You're starting to remind me of me, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing…I mean, I don't think I would want to marry a girl version of me." He chuckled slightly as Pikachu came out to greet him.

"Hey Pikachu," he whispered, "Did you miss me?"

Pikachu nodded, being careful not to say anything loud in front of the sleeping Misty.

"Hey, Pikachu I've got a poem I've been working on, and I need an opinion before I let Misty hear it. You want to hear it buddy?"

Pikachu nodded again and then Ash had pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his jacket pocket and began to read.

"My dearest Misty, to be with you I'll climb the highest of mountains, to be with you I'll dive the deepest oceans. I would soar through the sky like a striking Swanna and run across the fields like a rapid Rapidash. To be with you I would do anything, be anything, just to see your beautiful face over and over again."

Ash then sighed and folded up his paper. "That's all I got, Pikachu. What do you think so far?"

"Sounds more like a sappy love letter to me," a voice said from behind.

"Hey! Misty you were listening, no fair!" Ash said. "And it's not sappy, is it Pikachu?"

"Pika…" Pikachu tilted its head to the side in confusion.

"I bet Pikachu thinks it is mushy, like something from a corny love show," Misty giggled.

"Well, thanks a lot I put a lot of thought into this you know," Ash retaliated, "Just don't complain that I never write you poetry, because now you know why."

"Oh, Ash I'm sorry, really I am. I was just joking I really liked it, really I thought it was very sweet."

Ash shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "I don't know, it sounded like you meant it, and I don't know if I can accept your apology."

"Oh Ash I'll do anything," Misty pleaded.

"Anything huh?" he thought aloud, "Well, there is a new jacket I've been wanting for Christmas…and maybe you could throw in a pair of gloves, and a new hat too?"

Misty narrowed her eyes. "Don't push it Ketchum."

"Are you talking about me or you?"

"I'm not a Ketchum yet, so of course I mean you," she said back.

"Well technically you've always been a Ketchum, my mom was so sure a long time ago that we would get married eventually she told some of my cousins about you." Ash laughed.

Misty sighed in annoyance. "Why am I marrying you again?"

"Because I'm sexy and you know it, and completely irresistible," he answered.

"You wish, Ash."

Ash then reached out to hug her. "Your wish is my command, my little Corsola."

Misty laughed. "You're awful."

"But you love it, just like you love me."

"I think you're pushing it again, but yes I love you Ash." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"How much do you love me, Misty?" he asked.

"I'm beginning to wonder…"

"Hey!"

"I'm joking, joking!" she laughed.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Ash, Misty, Delia, and Pikachu were all eating dinner.<p>

"So did you and Brock work everything out, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I did feel bad though, I felt I had been holding him back all this time. There were a lot of things he wanted to do in life but he couldn't because he was always with me. That's why he was so depressed because he didn't know how to tell me. Worse part was that he felt so alone and afraid about what he would do now that my journey is finally over. So I told him to become both a pokemon doctor _and _a pokemon breeder, since he loves pokemon so much and he loves to take care of them.

"You told him to go for both? Are you sure he can do that, it sounds like a lot of hard work," Delia said.

"Maybe, but if anyone can do it, it would be Brock. He's the smartest guy I know there's no way he wouldn't be able to."

"I guess you're right, besides Brock always has a lot of energy to burn so I bet he could pull it off," Misty replied.

"Yeah, and at least he won't be chasing after girls as much now," Ash said.

"Ash, he's Brock, no matter what he'll always chase after women," Misty laughed.

It was then that Misty snuck food from Ash's plate and began to eat it.

"Hey, Misty I saw that!" Ash pouted. Ash didn't complain too much, in fact he was used to it and actually liked it.

"Oh, hush, I always ate your food. Come to think of it, you remember the first time I ate from your plate like this?" she asked.

"Uhm…yesterday?"

"No silly," Misty replied laughing, "Go back farther than that!"

"Hmm…oh yeah it was in Johto!"

"Johto?"

"Yeah, I remember because you wanted to eat at some fancy restaurant but we only had enough for two plates. I also remember because you spent the whole night pulling Brock's ear away from every waitress that passed by," Ash laughed.

"No wonder I didn't remember…that would have been a night I tried to forget," Misty said, rubbing her forehead.

"Why you ask?"

"Well, Giovanni had a picture of us there and I couldn't remember any other time before that, so I wondered if you did."

Ash sighed. "I hated that bastard took pictures of us since the beginning. I never felt so violated."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore," she said wrapping her arms around him, "After all Team Rocket is done for."

"Yeah most of them, but there might be still the remaining few who still wish to carry out Giovanni's wishes," Ash replied.

"Well, that doesn't matter either," Misty replied back, "Because no matter what happens we will face it as a team."

"A team?" Ash repeated.

"That's right, you, me and Pikachu, right Pika?"

Pikachu gave an affirmative nod. "Pika!"

Ash reached out and held Pikachu with one arm and Misty with the other. "What would I do without you guys?"

"You probably would have run into a wall by now," she laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>One year later…<strong>

"Oh, I'm going to miss you both so much!" Delia said tearfully.

"Mom, don't worry, we'll only be gone for a few months or so," Ash said back.

Ash, Misty, Delia, and Professor Oak were all at Cerulean port, ready to catch a cruise ship that was set to take them to Sophian Island. They were both especially happy about this, since it would be their first trip as a married couple.

"It is said that Sophian Island is home to a lot of different pokemon, and it's a very peaceful and relaxing place," Professor Oak explained, "I always wanted to go there for research, but other things would always come up."

"We'll try to find some cool pokemon for you Professor," Ash said.

"And we'll take plenty of pictures! I can't wait to see the Aqua Resort!" Misty added.

They were all interrupted in their thoughts by the sound of the ship's horn.

"Oh we better get going! Take care you guys! See you soon!" Misty yelled.

"Hey wait for me! Bye mom and Professor, and we'll try to send you a postcard!" Ash kissed his mom's cheek and ran off with Pikachu still waving goodbye on his shoulder.

"Bye! You two have fun!" Delia yelled and waved goodbye along with Professor Oak.

"So are you ready, Ash?" Misty asked. "Our first real adventure as a couple starts now!"

Ash gazed into Misty's bright blue-green eyes and smiled. "I was born ready, let's go!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, full of excitement, pumping its little fist into the air.

After a bunch of waving was done, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu were off, ready to go on another adventure. No matter how long or tough the road might seem, the main and most important part was that they had each other. This would be the essential part, for every road has a few bumps, and this one would be no exception.

* * *

><p>Yay, happiness! To think I started this story only because I was bored! Well when I decided I was going to do a sequel it was a bit hard because I had no ideas at all. But once I thought of a place they could go for a vacation it all just started flowing in my head and I got happy again. In case you don't know, I got Sophian Island from a pokemon game called Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs. I believe that's the name of the game I never played it ha ha. I found it randomly when I realized Sophian was close to Cerulean, according to Serebii and their maps, and then everything fell into place like pieces of a puzzle. I'm still looking for more ideas to go along with it so give me a suggestion and I'll put it in. Anyway I'm rambling again so I'll stop here. Thanks to everyone for reading and be sure to stay tuned!<p>

Until next time...I hate odd numbers...*sigh*


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